During training camp, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was having a conversation with Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
The two coaches became friends when they worked together with the Los Angeles Rams, and they were still about two months away from coaching against each other for the first time. At the time, it wasn’t clear yet whether or not Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers would play for the team this season.
“‘I saw what was going on with your quarterback,’” Taylor said he told LaFleur, “‘And I was hoping by Week 5, maybe he wouldn’t be there.’”
Rodgers was there on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium, and Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow matched one of the best quarterbacks in the league with his performance. They both were good enough to put their teams in position to win. Due to five missed kicks that could have won the game, both teams had multiple chances to do it.
Analysis:What we learned from Cincinnati Bengals Week 5 OT loss to Green Bay Packers
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Rodgers led the Packers to a 25-22 win in overtime over the Bengals (3-2) in front of a crowd of 64,195. After a missed 49-yard kick by Bengals rookie Evan McPherson, the Packers got the ball with five minutes left in overtime. Rodgers made a 20-yard throw to tight end Marcedes Lewis and a 15-yard throw to Randall Cobb.
Packers kicker Mason Crosby missed his first three chances to win the game, but he made his last one with a 49-yard game-winning kick.
"We expected to win this game," Taylor said. "We didn’t need a moral victory to show us we’re capable of beating great teams in this league. We just want to win them."
Rodgers, the 2020 NFL MVP, has led the Packers to consecutive NFC Championship Games. With another standout game on Sunday, he took away the Bengals opportunity to make a statement in the playoff race. A 4-1 record would have solidified the Bengals as contenders for a Wild Card spot, but their comeback attempt fell short.
"The only positive we can take from this is the effort we gave," Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase said. "Especially against that (quarterback and receiver duo) we played."
All game, Rodgers beat the Bengals with his ability to make deep throws on the run. In the second quarter, Packers star wide receiver Davante Adams made a contested touchdown catch in a matchup against Bengals cornerback Trae Waynes. In the third quarter, Rodgers completed a 59-yard pass up the middle of the field to Adams to get the Packers to the 6-yard line.
Adams was responsible for nearly two-thirds of the Packers receiving yards with a 206-yard game, and Rodgers finished the game with 344 passing yards.
"He’s a great player, and (Rodgers and Adams) both made some great plays," Taylor said. "That’s going to happen... They have one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time."
In a loss, Burrow still played one of the toughest games of his career.
When Burrow tried to run for a first down on Sunday, he ended up with his hips pointed toward the sky and his helmet pointed toward the end-zone. After scrambling out of the pocket, Burrow took the second-biggest hit of his career on his third-and-long scramble. He stayed on the ground for a few seconds but then jogged off the field. He didn’t miss a snap.
Sometime during the game, Burrow suffered a throat contusion, and he wasn’t available to speak to the media after the game, instead going to the hospital. He still put the Bengals in position to win.
With 1:07 left in the second quarter, the Packers had a 16-7 lead. On the second play of the Bengals last drive of the half, Burrow and Chase connected for a 70-yard touchdown pass, which made it a one-score game before halftime. Late in the fourth quarter, Burrow led a 13-play, 75-yard drive, and he stepped up with some of his best plays of the year to tie the score at 22.
"He made some critical plays where he extended plays," Taylor said. "He’s a quarterback that’s so consistent with how he sees the defense and his accuracy."
Burrow put the Bengals in position for the game-winning kick in overtime with a 21-yard pass to Chase. Following McPherson’s missed kick, Rodgers got the ball last. Crosby made the game-winner as the Bengals didn’t take advantage of an opportunity for a statement win.
"That was the toughest football game I’ve been a part of," Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie said. "We’re starting to learn about ourselves, and it’s going to be great film to correct."
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