The Packers have won a football game. I repeat. THE GREEN BAY PACKERS HAVE WON A FOOTBALL GAME. Was it pretty? No. Was it competent? Occasionally. Did we commit 14 penalties for 133 yards after committing 12 penalties last week? Absolutely. Because apparently we’re collecting flags now. But after six straight losses, the Green Bay Packers walked into a rainy MetLife Stadium, fell behind 17–7 in the fourth quarter, and somehow left New Jersey with a 20–17 overtime win. And honestly, we don’t need to investigate this any further.
THE COMEBACK
For roughly three quarters, this game had all the ingredients of another Sunday we’d prefer to erase from European Packers history. Penalties. Injuries. More penalties. A fumble. More penalties. Jordan Love getting his elbow smashed hard enough that his throwing hand went numb. And, just to keep things interesting, more penalties.
The Jets went up 17–7 with 11:04 remaining. At this point, reasonable people probably started doing something else.
We are Packers fans. We are not reasonable people. Love came back and hit Christian Watson for a 3-yard touchdown.
17–14.
Then Skyy Moore ripped off a 63-yard punt return, Trey Smack drilled a 34-yarder and suddenly:
17–17.
We were going to overtime. Of course we were.
OVERTIME: ENTER TREY SMACK
The Jets won the toss. Bad. Then Geno Smith got sacked on consecutive plays. Good. Then the Jets committed a false start and found themselves staring at 3rd-and-30. Very good. Green Bay got the football back and finally decided it might be fun to stop committing crimes against itself. Kaleb Johnson moved the chains. Jordan Love found Chris Brooks. The Jets added an unnecessary roughness penalty because apparently somebody needed to keep the flag economy alive. Matthew Golden caught one for 14 yards. Ball at the 8. And out walked a man whose name was apparently created specifically for this exact moment:
TREY. SMACK.
Twenty-six yards. Ball up. Ball through. Packers win.
20–17.
SMACK.
WE ARE SO BACK*
Jordan Love finished 16-of-29 for 145 yards and two touchdowns. MarShawn Lloyd scored the first touchdown of his NFL career. Christian Watson found the end zone. The defense showed up when it absolutely had to. And Trey Smack ended the Packers’ longest losing streak since the early ’90s.
Six straight losses. Done. Now, before anyone starts booking February flights or getting a Packers Super Bowl tattoo:
We committed 14 penalties for 133 yards.
So perhaps we are not all the way back. But that’s a problem for tomorrow. Tonight? 1–1. The losing streak is dead.
Trey Smack is currently the greatest kicker who has ever lived.* And the Packers are coming home to Lambeau for Thursday Night Football against Atlanta. See you Thursday.
GO PACK GO. 🧀
*Statements made immediately following an overtime Packers victory may not withstand independent fact-checking.
