Packers overcome Flacco's comeback attempt and beat the Bengals 27-18

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — This time, the Green Bay Packers built a double-digit lead and finished the job.

Josh Jacobs and Lucas Havrisik helped close it out.

Jacobs overcame an illness to rush for two touchdowns, and the Packers held off Cincinnati for a 27-18 victory in Joe Flacco’s Bengals debut on Sunday.

Havrisik sealed the win by making the second of his two field goals, a 39-yarder with 1:52 remaining. He also kicked a 43-yarder a day after signing with the Packers because Brandon McManus had injured his quadriceps.

“I feel a sense of relief right now,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “We always try to take it one game at a time. The bottom line is you've got to find a way to win the game. And you see each and every week around the league, a lot of these games are going down to the wire.”

While LaFleur was relieved, Jacobs was a little queasy.

The Pro Bowl running back said he vomited a couple times during the game while battling the flu, but he had a 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and opened the fourth by scoring on a 14-yard burst up the middle.

“I just kind of woke up this morning just not feeling my best," said Jacobs, who rushed for 93 yards on 18 carries. "But I told them, the last time that I felt that way, I had 130 (yards) and two touchdowns. So it is what it is.”

Green Bay's Jordan Love was 19 of 26 for 259 yards with an interception and a 19-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft.

The Packers (3-1-1) returned from a bye week and bounced back after squandering a 10-0 lead in a 13-10 loss at Cleveland and a 13-0 advantage in a 40-40 tie with Dallas.

Flacco was Cleveland’s quarterback in that victory over the Packers three weeks ago. He was acquired by Cincinnati (2-4) on Tuesday.

The 40-year-old Flacco was 29 of 45 for 219 yards and two touchdowns, but he couldn't quite dig his sixth NFL team all the way out of a 10-0 halftime deficit. The Bengals lost their fourth consecutive game.

“We gave ourselves a chance down at the end, and we did some good things, but just not enough," Flacco said.

Flacco became the eighth quarterback since at least 1950 to start against the same opponent twice in a season while playing for two different teams. The only quarterback to win both games in that scenario was Jack Kemp, who guided the AFL’s Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers past the New York Titans in 1962.

After Green Bay had dominated most of the way, Cincinnati cut the Packers' lead to 24-18 with 4:11 to go. Flacco threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase on a fourth-and-5 play, then connected with Chase Brown on a 2-point conversion.

But the Packers responded with Havrisik’s second field goal in his first NFL game since a 2023 stint with the Los Angeles Rams. He had considered getting a part-time job as he struggled to find NFL kicking opportunities.

“I’ve done substitute teaching in the past and coaching,” Havrisik said. "I moved to Cleveland recently, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to get outside, do something.’ I can’t sit down all day. Very happy to be here and play some football.”

Cincinnati’s final hope vanished when Evan McPherson was wide right on a 56-yard attempt with 41 seconds left. McPherson also made a 45-yard field goal and was well short on what would have been an NFL-record 67-yarder to end the first half.

The Bengals were outgained 240-65 in the first half, marking the fourth straight game in which they failed to reach the end zone before halftime.

Cincinnati got back into the game by opening the second half with a 17-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that lasted 10 minutes, 14 seconds. On fourth-and-goal, Flacco threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Hudson, who entered Sunday’s game without any catches all season.

Jacobs’ second touchdown made it 17-7. Cincinnati cut the lead to 17-10 with 10:43 left before Love and Kraft connected for Green Bay’s longest touchdown completion of the season.

Kraft caught the ball a couple of yards beyond the line of scrimmage, shed a tackle and lowered his shoulder to get through cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt and land in the right corner of the end zone.

“I think the ultimate goal is just going 1-0,” Love said. “It’s going to be some ugly games. Not every game is going to be pretty, it’s not going to be a blowout every time, so you just gotta find ways to win these tight ones.”

Injuries

Bengals: TE Mike Gesicki (pectoral) and DE Trey Hendrickson (back bruise) both left the game.

Packers: DE Lukas Van Ness was carted into the locker room with a foot injury in the third quarter. WR Dontayvion Wicks hurt his ankle. S Javon Bullard was evaluated for a concussion.

Up next

Bengals: Host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday

Packers: Visit the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.