Packers 20, Jets 17: Smack ends the skid in overtime
By Jordan Vance
Green Bay was down 10 in the fourth quarter, staring at a seventh straight loss going back to last season, and playing without two players carted off on back-to-back snaps of the opening drive. The Packers won anyway, 20–17 in overtime, snapping a six-game skid.
Jayden Reed and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele were both carted off to start the game. Reed caught a 4-yard pass and stayed down. The team called it a neck injury. Matt LaFleur said Reed had movement in all his extremities and would stay overnight in New Jersey. On Monday, ESPN reported the injury was to his back, not his neck, and Green Bay is still deciding how long he'll be out. Bako-Bewele hurt a knee on the next snap. LaFleur said it doesn't look good and he could be out for a long time. The Packers played the rest of the afternoon short-handed and still found a way.
Trailing 17–7 with 11 minutes left, Jordan Love got them back into it. He hit Christian Watson for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 17–14 with 7:58 left. Skyy Moore's 63-yard punt return set up Trey Smack's 34-yarder, and that tied it with 2:59 to go. Love's other touchdown had come earlier, a 6-yard dump-off to MarShawn Lloyd in the second quarter — Lloyd's first NFL score. Love finished 16-of-29 for 145 yards. It was not a clean game. Green Bay was flagged 14 times, the Jets 13, and the Packers fumbled four times while losing only one. Green Bay also went 1-for-9 on third down.
In overtime the Jets took the ball first. Green Bay sacked Geno Smith on back-to-back plays, a false start made it third-and-30, and New York punted. Smack's 26-yarder with 5:23 left ended it.
Smith outgained Love, 27-of-41 for 247 yards, and Garrett Wilson caught a touchdown among his 5 grabs on 7 targets. The Jets were stuffed on fourth-and-1 at midfield late in regulation, and Green Bay's own last chance in regulation stalled too. Breece Hall was limited to 29 yards on 16 carries but stayed heavily involved as a receiver, 5 catches for 63 yards.
Fantasy winners
Watson's 3-yard score is the one that started the rally. Lloyd's touchdown matters too — it was his first in the NFL — but it came in the second quarter, not on a comeback drive. Wilson remains a locked-in weekly target even in a losing effort, with 7 targets and a score.
Fantasy questions
Reed is the one to sort out before Thursday. Sunday's report was a neck injury, and the good news that night was movement in all extremities. Monday's update called it a back injury, and there is still no timeline. Hall's workload stayed steady despite the tough sledding on the ground. The receiving role keeps his floor solid even on a rough rushing day.