As if bearing the brunt of the call that ultimately led to the end of the NFL’s replacement officials weren’t enough, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers nearly had a big comeback win undone by a blunder from the regular refs.
Rodgers threw a go-ahead touchdown to Jordy Nelson in the fourth quarter, and the Packers shook off a week’s worth of controversy with a rally to beat the winless Saints 28-27 yesterday.
With Lambeau Field fans howling about what appeared to be yet another bad call — this time by the regular officials, not the replacements — Garrett Hartley missed a 48-yard field goal attempt with just under three minutes remaining that cost the Saints a shot at the lead.
“We’ve probably had to deal with more adversity than most of the teams I’ve played with, especially early on we’ve had some interesting games already,” said Rodgers. who threw for 319 yards with four touchdowns and an interception for the Packers (2-2).
Drew Brees threw for 446 yards with three touchdowns for the Saints (0-4).
“It’s going to hurt when you lose a game like this,” Saints interim coach Aaron Kromer said. “But I will not let them get down. We are too close.”
Brees now has thrown at least one touchdown in 47 straight regular-season games, tying the NFL’s all-time mark set by Johnny Unitas.
After Rodgers’ touchdown to Nelson, Darren Sproles appeared to fumble the ensuing kickoff but officials ruled that he was down by contact. Replays showed that the ball clearly came out but the Packers were out of replay challenges, leaving Packers fans screaming at the officials for the second week in a row.
Vikings 20, Lions 13
In Detroit, Percy Harvin and Marcus Sherels ran the surprising Vikings to the top of the NFL North.
Harvin returned the opening kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown and Marcus Sherels scored on a punt return early in the third, helping the Vikings beat Detroit.
NFC North-leading Minnesota (3-1) matched the number of wins it had last season. The Vikings also snapped an 11-game losing streak within the division.
The Lions (1-3) have lost three straight, surpassing the longest skid by last year’s playoff team.