CLEVELAND – A 25-yard touchdown pass to WR Davante Adams in overtime gave the Packers a season-saving 27-21 victory over the Browns in Cleveland on Sunday. Green Bay won its second straight in overtime, with the possibility of QB Aaron Rodgers getting back to action next week.
A defensive interception by rookie S Josh Jones on the opening OT possession set the Packers up in good field position for the game-winning drive, after the Packers had rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the score.
With the win, Green Bay improved to 7-6 and kept its playoff hopes alive. Cleveland, seeking its first win of the season, fell to 0-13.
QB Brett Hundley finished 35-of-46 for 265 yards with three TDs and no interceptions for a 111.2 passer rating. RB Jamaal Williams had 12 rushes for 49 yards and a score, and Adams had 10 catches for 84 yards and Green Bay's last two touchdowns. Williams added seven catches for 69 yards as well.
For the Browns, QB DeShone Kizer was 20-of-28 for 214 yards with three TDs and two interceptions for a 99.4 rating. RB Isaiah Crowell had 19 carries for 121 yards. WR Josh Gordon had three catches for 69 yards and a score, and WR Corey Coleman had five grabs for 62 yards and a TD.
Here's a recap of all the action.
First quarter:
The Packers and Browns traded touchdowns on their opening drives and went into the second quarter tied at 7.
The Browns won the toss and deferred. The Packers started with a 12-yard pass to WR Jordy Nelson. After a pair of 4-yard completions to WR Randall Cobb, Green Bay faked a punt on fourth-and-2, as S Jermaine Whitehead took a direct snap as the up back and ran around the left side for 7 yards.
Two runs by RB Jamaal Williams picked up 9 yards, and the Packers went for it again on fourth-and-1. QB Brett Hundley threw it out quickly to Cobb, who picked up 8 yards and another first down.
Two plays later, a scrambling Hundley found Williams wide open behind the defense for a 30-yard touchdown pass, and the Packers took the early lead.
The Browns started with a 38-yard pass from QB DeShone Kizer to WR Josh Gordon. Two runs for 5 yards total by RB Isaiah Crowell set up third-and-5, and Kizer scrambled 8 yards to pick it up. A 12-yard pass to TE Randall Telfer got the Browns to the Green Bay 21, and two plays later, Kizer found Gordon for an 18-yard TD against zone coverage to tie the game.
Browns DL Nate Orchard came unblocked and sacked Hundley on the first snap for a 9-yard loss, leading to a three-and-out. Packers LB Kyler Fackrell's zero-yard sack on a scrambling Kizer on third down produced a three-and-out for Green Bay's defense.
Rookie RB Aaron Jones lost 2 yards on the final play of the quarter.
Second quarter:
The Packers' offense hit the skids after a good opening drive, and the Browns took a 14-7 lead into halftime.
Facing third-and-12 from their own 6, the Packers caught a break. Hundley's deep pass for WR Davante Adams was incomplete, but Browns DB Kai Nacua was flagged for a personal foul after the play for head-butting Adams, and Green Bay got a first down.
The drive went nowhere after that, though, and the Packers punted.
A holding penalty put the Browns in second-and-long, but a 20-yard completion to WR Corey Coleman moved the chains. Crowell carried three straight times for 21 yards, and a 13-yard slant to Gordon on third-and-1 put the Browns on the Green Bay 24.
On third-and-11, Kizer found Coleman for 18 yards to make it first-and-goal on the 7, and Kizer's shovel pass to RB Duke Johnson was good for the score. Cleveland led 14-7 with 5:12 left in the half.
Green Bay got another gift on its next third-and-1, as Browns DB Mike Jordan was called for illegal hands to the face as Hundley's pass was incomplete. Adams dropped a low throw on a slant pass, and then a holding penalty on C Corey Linsley wiped out a third-and-10 conversion to TE Richard Rodgers, and the Packers punted again.
On the ensuing drive, the Browns threw incomplete on third-and-11, but LB Ahmad Brooks jumped offside, giving Cleveland another shot. Kizer found Johnson matched up on Brooks for an 18-yard catch-and-run to move the chains. LB Clay Matthews sacked Kizer on first down, but Kizer hit Coleman for 18 yards into Green Bay territory.
A deep shot to Gordon was broken up at the goal line by S Josh Jones, and two plays later, S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix intercepted another deep ball to Coleman with 17 seconds left in the half.
Third quarter:
The Packers squandered a huge scoring chance and the Browns added to their lead, taking a 21-7 advantage into the fourth quarter.
The Packers' defense started the second half with a three-and-out, as Kizer's third-down lob pass for Gordon was incomplete.
The Packers finally got moving again on offense on a 9-yard pass to Nelson on third down. A 12-yard run by Williams was followed by a 7-yard pass to Williams for another first down. On third-and-5 from the Cleveland 38, Hundley stepped out of a sack attempt and scrambled for 19 yards into the red zone.
A 7-yard pass to WR Geronimo Allison set up third-and-1 on the 10, and Williams was stopped short. The Packers went for it, and it was a busted play, as Hundley looked to hand off, but no one was there, and the promising drive came up empty.
The Browns started their next drive with an 18-yard run by Crowell to get out of the hole. A pass to Johnson picked up 15 and another first down. Crowell then busted a 37-yard run up the middle to make it first-and-goal on the 6. On third down from the 2, Kizer hit Coleman right at the goal line for the score, and the Browns led 21-7 with 2:49 left in the third.
A pair of 9-yard passes to Allison and two passes for 11 to TE Lance Kendricks got the Packers into Cleveland territory. Hundley then hit Adams cutting across the middle for 15 yards to the 26. Another pass to Adams that he nearly broke for a touchdown but went for 9 yards finished the period.
Fourth quarter:
The Packers rallied for 14 points in the fourth quarter, getting a big punt return from WR Trevor Davis and a TD pass to WR Davante Adams for the game-tying score with 17 seconds left.
The Packers began the fourth quarter with a 4-yard pass to Williams to pick up a first down at the Cleveland 13. Williams then ran up the middle for 12 to the 1, and it took Williams three tries, but he finally found the end zone to get the Packers back within one score at 21-14 with 12:50 left.
On the first play of the Browns' next drive, Kizer's pass to Gordon was incomplete as Gordon tripped over a fallen CB Davon House, who had been guarding another receiver. House, who surprising played despite being doubtful with a shoulder injury, was down for several minutes before being carted off the field.
On third-and-6, Kizer hit TE Seth DeValve for 11 yards on a first down. On the ensuing third-and-2, though, Crowell didn't get there, and the Browns had to punt. An ugly flutterball took a Cleveland bounce, and the Browns downed it at the 3-yard line, where the Packers took over with 9:23 left.
Passes of 4 yards to Allison and 9 to Williams got a first down. Throws for 8 yards to Adams and 8 to Nelson got another. On third-and-10 from the Green Bay 32, Browns DB Jason McCourty was flagged for illegal contact, giving the Packers a huge break for a first down. On the next third-and-2, Hundley's pass was batted down at the line of scrimmage by DL Carl Nassib, and the Packers punted. The touchback put the Browns on the 20 with 5:22 left.
Crowell ran three times for 12 yards. On third-and-4 from the 37, a pass to TE David Njoku for the first down was ruled a catch, but the Packers challenged. Replay overturned the catch, making it fourth down, and the Browns had to punt.
WR Trevor Davis caught the punt on his own 10-yard line, made a series of darts and doges, and took off up the sideline for 65 yards in all to the Cleveland 25, with 2:37 left.
Hundley scrambled for 5 yards and Williams ran for 4 more, coming up just short of the first down at the two-minute warning. Hundley snuck it up the middle for the first down at the 14. Passes of 4 yards to Adams and 3 to Williams set up third-and-3 from the 7, and the Packers used their final timeout with 36 seconds left.
Hundley then ran the QB draw up the middle and dove for the goal line. It was initially ruled a touchdown, but upon review he was ruled down at the 1, and a 10-second runoff put the clock at 23 seconds. Hundley fired a quick out to Adams for the TD, and K Mason Crosby's PAT tied the game at 21 with 17 seconds left.
Overtime:
The Browns won the coin toss and took the ball to start overtime. On third-and-2 from the Cleveland 33, Matthews was in Kizer's face as he tried to heave the ball downfield, hitting the QB's arm. The ball fluttered into a group of Packers, and rookie S Josh Jones came down with it for his first career interception at the Cleveland 42-yard line.
Hundley hit Williams on a checkdown for 6 yards, and Williams ran up the middle for 2 to the 34. A slant to Adams for 5 yards converted on third down to the 29. A Williams run for 1 and a pass for 3 to Cobb set up third-and-6 from the Cleveland 25.
Hundley threw a quick hitch to Adams, who broke a tackle and spun away from the defense, taking it all the way for the game-winning touchdown.
