Aaron Rodgers bests Tom Brady as Packers beat Patriots

Aaron Rodgers threw for two touchdowns, Eddie Lacy ran for key yards in the fourth quarter and the Green Bay Packers fended off the New England Patriots 26-21 on Sunday in a high-profile matchup between Super Bowl contenders. Rodgers bested Tom Brady in the first meeting between the quarterbacks as starters. He connected with Richard Rodgers and Jordy Nelson for long touchdowns.

Leading by five, the defense held firm late for the Packers (9-3). Mike Daniels and Mike Neal combined to sack Brady on third down for a 9-yard loss, and kicker Stephen Gostkowkski pushed a 47-yard field-goal attempt wide right with 2:40 left. The Packers sealed it after Rodgers converted to Cobb on third and 4 with the Patriots out of timeouts.

Brady finished with two touchdown passes to Brandon LaFell for New England (9-3), which had its seven-game winning streak snapped. The second score came from 15 yards early in the fourth quarter to get within 23-21. The lead could have been wider for the Packers if not for some hiccups in the red zone.

Green Bay settled for four field goals from Mason Crosby of 35 yards or less, including a 28-yarder to make it a five-point lead with 8:41 left. That kick came after rookie Davante Adams dropped a potential touchdown pass on third-and-5 from the New England 10. On his knees, a frustrated Rodgers buried his helmet into the turf in frustration.

But he was celebrating at the end. Green Bay has won four in a row and right of nine. The Packers had been blowing past opponents at home with big early leads, turning the final 30 minutes of games at Lambeau Field into glorified practices. But this game had the feel of a championship fight down to the final minutes.

New England punched back after falling behind 13-0 in the first quarter. Brandon Bolden twisted his way up the middle past would-be tacklers for a 6-yard run early in the second quarter to get New England on the board. LaFell’s 2-yard catch with 1:09 left in the quarter drew New England within 16-14.

But the quick-strike Packers were at their best late in the first half. Rodgers found Nelson in stride over the middle, and the receiver beat standout cornerback Darrelle Revis for a 45-yard touchdown, outracing safety Devin McCourty and tagging the front pylon before falling out of bounds.

Elsewhere, Arizona continued their fall from atop the NFC after a 29-18 loss in Atlanta. Julio Jones shone with 189 receiving yards for the Falcons (5-7) who scored the game’s first 17 points.

Arizona (9-3) have lost their last two games and appear limited offensively since losing starting QB Carson Palmer to a season-ending injury three weeks ago.

The San Diego Chargers stunned the Baltimore Ravens 34-33 with a fourth-quarter comeback, scoring the game-winner with seconds to play.

The Chargers (8-4 in the AFC West) trailed 30-20 with about six minutes remaining before Philip Rivers threw a touchdown pass to Keenan Allen and after a Baltimore field goal, found Eddie Royal for another with just 38 seconds left.

Rivers’ rally dropped Baltimore (7-5) further behind first-place Cincinnati (8-3-1). AFC North contenders Pittsburgh (7-5) and Cleveland (7-5) also suffered defeats.

Cincinnati’s Bengals squeaked past Tampa Bay 14-13 after climbing out of a 10-0 hole. AJ Green caught a 13-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to put the visiting Bengals ahead for good. Tampa Bay drove into field goal range on their final possession but a pair of penalties pushed them back and ended their chances.
The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to New Orleans 35-32 as the Saints’ Drew Brees threw five touchdown passes.

Cleveland was beaten by Buffalo 26-10. In the defeat, Browns Johnny Manziel took over for ineffective starter Brian Hoyer in the fourth quarter. The first-round draft choice finished a long drive with a 10-yard run for a touchdown, potentially creating a quarterback controversy moving forward.

In Indianapolis, Andrew Luck tossed five touchdowns passes and the Colts (8-4) steamrolled Washington 49-27 to stay atop the AFC South. The Redskins were playing their first game since benching struggling quarterback Robert Griffin III, and replacement Colt McCoy threw for 392 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.

AFC South rival Houston (6-6) remained two games behind Indianapolis with 45-21 rout of Tennessee as JJ Watt caught another touchdown pass, while Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for six TDs.

In another lopsided affair, the St Louis Rams blasted Oakland 52-0 in a game that saw five Rams’ players support a recent protest over the controversial shooting by police of an unarmed teenager in nearby Ferguson, Missouri.

The group took the field with hands raised to support the “hands up, don’t shoot” gesture utilised by the protestors.

“We just understand that it’s a big tragedy and we hope something positive comes out of it,” Rams receiver Stedman Bailey told reporters.

The Jacksonville Jaguars picked up their second win of the season by dealing the New York Giants their seventh straight defeat. The Jaguars trailed 21-0 before rallying behind rookie quarterback Blake Bortles.