Packers win defensive battle in Baltimore

Week 6
October 13, 2013 - 12:00 p.m. - FOX
M&T Bank Stadium
Baltimore, Maryland

Packers 19 - Ravens 17

The Packers escaped Baltimore with a victory over the defending Super Bowl champions in a game that featured defense early and often.

The defensive struggle in this football game came with putting points on the board.  Aaron Rodgers managed to toss for 315 yards and a touchdown.  Rookie running back Eddie Lacy dashed the Ravens for 120 yards on 23 carries and Jordy Nelson led the team with four receptions for 113 yards including a 64-yard touchdown.  For the Ravens, Joe Flacco threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns.  Wide receiver Tandon Doss led their team with four receptions for 99 yards.  Yards were made all over the field, but very few points scored.

The first half had two total scoring plays, a pair of Mason Crosby field goals as the Packers led at halftime 6-0.  The Packers and Ravens traded field goals late in the third quarter before Rodgers hit them with the big play.  Rodgers hit a wide open Jordy Nelson for a 64-yard touchdown to take a 16-3 lead into the fourth quarter.

Photo credit: packers.com

Last year's Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco was not going to go down without a fight.  Flacco took the next Ravens possession down for a touchdown to cut the Packers lead to 16-10.  After Mason Crosby added his fourth field goal of the game, Flacco took his next possession down for another touchdown to narrow the Packers lead to 19-17 with two minutes and change left.  The Packers, with the help of Aaron Rodgers and Eddie Lacy, went on a nine play game-ending drive that burnt the clock out.  Joe Flacco never got the ball back.  On a third and three from our 27-yard line, Rodgers connected with Jermichael Finley for 52 yards and a huge first down.  The Packers faced another huge third down and two, but Eddie Lacy took care of that with a four yard rush to end the ballgame.

Defensively, A.J. Hawk had a hell of a football game.  Hawk finished the day with ten total tackles including three sacks.  Hawk, the team's leading tackler, was definitely the team's defensive MVP of the day.

The Packers encountered some major injuries in this football game.  First, James Jones suffered a knee/leg injury while blocking in the first quarter and did not return.  Jones is expected to have only suffered a knee sprain, which may sideline him for a couple games.  Second, Randall Cobb also suffered a knee/leg injury when he was hit low by the Ravens Matt Elam in the second quarter.  This injury did not look good.  Cobb could very well be on the shelf for several weeks or even the season.

Detroit Lions  4-2
Chicago Bears  4-2
Green Bay Packers  3-2
Minnesota Vikings  1-4