Packers 27, Bengals 18: 2-minute drill

October 12, 2025|In Packers

Packers 27, Bengals 18: 2-minute drill

October 12, 2025|In Packers

Packers 27, Bengals 18: 2-minute drill

GREEN BAY — Josh Jacobs ran for two touchdowns and Green Bay held off a late comeback attempt from Cincinnati to get a 27-18 win on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Play of the Game

Facing a third-and-9 with 2:32 left and clinging to a 24-18 lead, quarterback Jordan Love got flushed to his left, settled himself and then dropped a perfect ball on a deep crossing route to wide receiver Matthew Golden for a first down. It helped setup a field goal to take a two-possession lead with under two minutes remaining.

Game Balls

Offense:

QB Jordan Love

The Packers quarterback made a poor decision on the first drive of the game as he attempted to hit a tightly covered Romeo Doubs and the ball got tipped and intercepted. But after that, the third-year starter played at a high level. He finished 19-for-26 for 259 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 26 yards, including three runs that resulted in first downs to keep drives alive.

RB Josh Jacobs

Jacobs scored two of the team’s three touchdowns, carrying the ball 18 times for 93 yards, his most this season and the most since Week 15 of last year. He added 57 yards receiving and he now has 307 yards of total offense the last two games. He did all of it while battling the flu, which caused him to throw up a couple times during the game.

WR Matthew Golden

It’s been a bit of a slow start for the first-round pick but he put together his best effort of the season. Golden had three catches for 86 yards on five targets and added another 16 yards on a couple of carries. Those 102 yards were the most for him in a single game.

Defense:

DL Lucas Van Ness

The third-year defensive end came through with a sack and had two quarterback pressures before leaving with a foot injury in the second half.

LB Edgerrin Cooper

Cooper led the way for a defense that held Cincinnati to just 55 yards rushing (3.4 ypc), racking up a team-high 11 tackles, including four solo stops. He also accounted for one of the team’s five tackles for loss.

What Went Right

The running game

The Packers ran for 153 yards, their second-highest total of the season. They really got it going in the second half, averaging 5.9 yards per carry while rushing for 71 yards. Over the last two games, the team is averaging 158.5 yards and 4.7 yards per carry.

The kicking game

With Brandon McManus not available, the Packers turned the newly signed Lucas Havriskik. He delivered, hitting a pair of field goals — his first since 2023 — and all three of his extra points.

What Went Wrong

Second half defense

The Packers defense put together a great first half, holding the Bengals and new quarterback Joe Flacco to just 65 yards. But they could not get a stop after the break. Cincinnati had drives of 17 plays and 10 plays that ended in touchdowns, while another 9-play drive resulted in a field goal. It was a third-straight game where the defense could not close the door on an opposing offense, leaving the game in doubt.

What They Said

In Case You Missed It

— After allowing Micah Parsons to be the last player announced during the season opener against Detroit, All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney was back in his normal spot as the last one to be introduced. Defensive lineman Rashan Gary was second-to-last, with Parsons just before him.

— Defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness left the game with a foot injury and did not return

— Wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks suffered an ankle injury and did not return

— Safety Javon Bullard was injured in the second half and was being evaluated for a concussion

— Cincinnati star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson left the game in the first half with a back injury and did not return.

— Bo Melton was moved from wide receiver to cornerback in the offseason but he got a chance to carry the ball once again in the third quarter on an end around. It didn’t go for much — he got just two yards — and took a huge hit.

Inside the Numbers

21 — That’s how many rushing touchdowns Jacobs has since joining the Packers. He has accounted 72.4-percent of the team’s rushing touchdowns the last three seasons

0 — That’s how many turnovers the Packers forced. They have just two all season, which ranks 31st in the league

88 — That’s how many yards rushing Love has this season — already more than he had all of last season

What’s Next?

Green Bay (3-1-1) heads on the road to face Arizona (2-4) next Sunday

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