Before the Thursday Night Football between the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals took place there was only one remaining undefeated team through week 8. The Packers were missing Davante Adams and Allen Lazard due to COVID-19 protocols, while the Cardinals are likely to be without J.J. Watt for the remainder of the season as he will undergo shoulder surgery.
The Packers Were Able to Overcome Adversity
The Packers were already short-handed and things started to get worse in the third quarter. The Packers were already without their top three wide receivers, top two cornerbacks, All-Pro left tackle, All-Pro pass rusher, starting center, and the defensive coordinator. Green Bay Packers’ tight end Robert Tonyan exited the game due to a knee injury and did not return.
On a second-and-6 play from the Packers’ 46-yard line, Tonyan caught his third reception of the game for 32 yards and was undoubtedly the Packers’ most explosive play of the night on offense. He was able to walk off the field on his own to the locker room but was limping as the Packers will have another injury to monitor. Tonyan has 15 catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns thus far into the season.
Through all the adversity QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Randall Cobb were able to turn back the clock like the success the duo had in 2014 where Cobb had 14 touchdowns. Cobb may have only had three receptions as he was targeted five times, but those were some important catches. The fifteen receiving yards led to two touchdowns as the game came down to the wire as the Cardinals were in striking distance.
The Arizona Cardinals Were Close to Remaining Undefeated Through Week 8
The Cardinals had the upper hand in the passing game while the Packers had the advantage in the running game. With the game on the line with Greenbay trying to seal the game with a touchdown, the Cardinals’ defense was able to come up big with a goal-line stand to steal back possession with just over three minutes remaining.
With an elite quarterback, Kyler Murray and his team were facing a three-point deficit with their perfect record on the line. From there, Murray brought his team to the end zone with a few ticks left in the game. With twelve seconds left in the game, WR A.J. Green was not expecting the pass to come in his direction as it was picked off by Rasul Douglas to hand the Cardinals’ first loss of the season.
It proves that the underdogs for the game are serious contenders to win a Super Bowl even without the best players on the field. Douglas was added to the team’s roster three weeks ago as the team desperately needed some help in the secondary. Douglas also got his revenge in a way as he was a member of the Cardinals’ practice squad earlier in the year.
When Thursday night concluded, the two teams that just competed against each other in the thriller were sharing the best record in the league as Arizona was no longer undefeated. Aaron Rodgers also let fans and the rest of the league know that he and his team are on a seven-game winning streak.
On the other hand, the Cardinals tied the franchise’s longest winning streak to begin the season as the mark was set in 1974 due to the 24-21 loss at home last night.
