Saquon Barkley took a direct snap and ran for a 2-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to cap the New York Giants’ 27-22 comeback victory over the Packers on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, spoiling Green Bay’s international debut.
Aaron Rodgers drove the Packers to the 6-yard line, but his pass on fourth-and-goal was swatted down at the line of scrimmage by safety Xavier McKinney with just over a minute left.
After Giants punter Jamie Gillan ran out of the end zone for a safety, the Packers (3-2) got the ball back and set up a desperation pass, but Rodgers was sacked by Oshane Ximines at the Green Bay 29, fumbling as the clock ran out.
Gary Brightwell’s 2-yard touchdown tied the score at 20-20 to complete a 15-play, 91-yard drive with just over 10 minutes to play. On the drive, Jones scrambled for two first downs — after carrying just once in the first half for 3 yards.
Rodgers threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, but couldn’t get any points on the board in the second half. Rodgers connected with Allen Lazard and Marcedes Lewis for first-half scoring strikes.
The Giants entered the game as the NFL’s top rushing offence, but struggled to run the ball early, falling behind 17-3 after Lazard’s 4-yard touchdown reception and Lewis’ 2-yard catch in the end zone when Rodgers found the veteran tight end wide open.
Early on, Jones seemed to be limited by his sprained ankle and wasn’t a threat to run in the first half. Barkley then took a direct snap for a 40-yard gain to the Giants 38, bringing the offence to life, and the Giants used some trickery to get the ball in the end zone.
He’s here!<br>He’s there!<br>He’s every —where!<br><br>????: <a href=”https://twitter.com/nflnetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@nflnetwork</a> <a href=”https://t.co/2HOpIpX6je”>pic.twitter.com/2HOpIpX6je</a>
—@Giants
From the shotgun, Jones ran right, pitched it to Barkley, who then pitched to Daniel Bellinger. The rookie tight end avoided a tackle and ran it in to close the gap to 17-10.
But 1:15 on the clock was enough for Rodgers to lead the Packers into field-goal range. Mason Crosby connected from 48 yards as time expired in the half to give the Packers a 20-10 lead.
Jones completed 21 of 27 passes for 217 yards.
Randall Cobb led Green Bay with seven receptions for 99 yards.
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