GREEN BAY – Both teams scored touchdowns on their opening possessions, and the first quarter ended with the Bengals driving to break the 7-7 tie at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
The Bengals scored their first touchdown of the season on the game's opening drive. QB Andy Dalton moved the chains twice with 13-yard passes to TE Tyler Kroft and WR A.J. Green. He then found RB Joe Mixon for a 20-yard catch-and-run on third-and-4, and a facemask penalty on Packers S Marwin Evans made it first down on the Green Bay 12. Mixon's play was officially ruled a run because Dalton's pass went backwards.
Then on third-and-8, Dalton found Green for the 10-yard TD, and the Bengals were on the board first.
The Packers started at their own 40 after the kickoff went out of bounds, and they quickly got a 33-yard pass interference penalty on CB Adam Jones to get into Cincinnati territory. A 7-yard run by RB Ty Montgomery and a 9-yard pass to WR Jordy Nelson put the ball on the 11. WR Davante Adams then took a quick pass, juked his defender in the open field, and dove for the goal line.
The ball came out and was recovered by the Bengals, but replay ruled that Adams was down inside the 1. QB Aaron Rodgers then found TE Lance Kendricks wide open off play-action for the TD to tie the game.
The Bengals got across midfield again on their second possession, on the strength of completions of 17 yards to Green and 14 yards to Kroft. But on third-and-8, rookie S Josh Jones came on a blitz and sacked Dalton, forcing a punt.
WR Trevor Davis made some nifty moves on the punt return, gaining 33 yards in all out to the Green Bay 40. But the Packers went three-and-out, losing yardage along the way, and a bad punt by P Justin Vogel went just 27 yards, giving the ball back to the Bengals at their own 40.
CB Damarious Randall tackled Mixon for a 6-yard loss on first down, but Mixon countered with a pair of 9-yard receptions to move the chains anyway. RB Gio Bernard then busted through for a 25-yard run to the Green Bay 23 on the final play of the quarter.
