Saquon Barkley put the New York Giants in the lead with a two-yard touchdown run with six minutes to play, before Aaron Rodgers failed to convert on fourth down as the Green Bay Packers fell to defeat on what was their first regular-season game in London
Sunday 9 October 2022 23:30, UK
The New York Giants crashed the party on Sunday as they overcame a 14-point deficit to beat the Green Bay Packers 27-22 in front of a Cheesehead-dominated Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on what marked the historic franchise's first game in London.
Saquon Barkley put the Giants ahead for the first time in the game with six minutes left as he darted to the outside on a two-yard touchdown run to cap a drive he had exploded into life with a 41-yard reception.
The Giants defense rounded off the comeback when Xavier McKinney batted down Aaron Rodgers' pass attempt on fourth-and-one with a minute remaining amid the Packers' efforts to draw level.
First-year Giants head coach Brian Daboll moves to 4-1 on the season with the victory, while Green Bay slip to 3-2 after the first game in London between two sides with winning records.
Barkley, the NFL's leading rusher, finished with 70 yards from 13 carries on the ground along with three catches for 36 receiving yards, having exited briefly for treatment on a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter.
During his absence Giants back Gary Brightwell tied the score at 20-20 with a two-yard touchdown run with 10 minutes remaining to complete a 15-play, 91-yard drive.
Green Bay led by 10 points at half-time through touchdowns from Allen Lazard and Marcedes Lewis, before Graham Gano made it a one-score game with a 37-yard field goal early in the third quarter.
Rodgers was sacked by Dexter Lawrence for a loss of six on third-and-eight on the ensuing drive in what appeared to swing momentum in the Giants' favour.
Darius Slayton led the Giants through the air with six catches for 79 yards after Big Blue had entered the matchup without Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney and rookie wideout Wan'Dale Robinson.
Green Bay took an early lead through Crosby's 46-yard field at the end of a nine-play 49-yard opening drive that had seen Rodgers convert a third-and-eight situation with a 35-yard completion to Randall Cobb.
The teams exchanged three successive three-and-outs until the Packers strengthened their early advantage with Lazard's four-yard walk-in score after McKinney had given up a 33-yard pass interference penalty while in coverage on Robert Tonyan.
Gano puts the Giants' first points on the board with a 48-yard field goal as the Giants flashed signs of receiver separation early in the drive through Darius Slayton, who presented himself as his team's apparent splash-play option in the air amid injuries to their receiving core.
Rodgers rounded off a 13-play, 75-yard drive with a gloriously-designed two-yard strike to Marcedes Lewis, the veteran tight end wide open in the end zone after a fake handoff to Aaron Jones and a defense-dragging jet sweep decoy from Christian Watson.
Rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger reduced the deficit for the Giants with a two-yard touchdown run on a reverse handoff from Barkley, who himself had ignited the series through a 40-yard burst out of the wildcat formation. Crosby made it a 10-point game at the break with a 48-yard field goal as time expired in the half.
Packers head coach, Matt LaFleur: "Obviously this is as disappointing as it gets for us. Give New York all the credit. They out-coached us, they outplayed us.
"They definitely wanted it more. It was the tale of two halves. They kicked our butt in the second half. You can't do that in this league.
"We just got to regroup. Everybody's got to look in the mirror and ask themselves what they can do better because it was a collective effort right there in terms of not being able to come out on top."
Giants head coach, Brian Daboll: "I think they play hard. They do what we ask them to do. They trust in the things we ask them to do. They work extremely, extremely hard. They played good situational football.
"I thought the quarterback (Daniel Jones) had an excellent game and he's had a few of those. Maybe his stats don't reflect it, but he's led his team down to wins.
"He's played good at crunch time coming back from a little bit of an ankle issue. I give credit to all the guys and all the coaches."
Giants quarterback, Daniel Jones: "I think we were aware that we were underdogs in the game. I think we realised that. But I think we're a motivated group. I think we are motivated to play for each other, to put our best stuff out there every time we go out there. So that's what's going to continue to motivate us and like I said we are going to continue to look what we can improve on."
Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers: "We got to handle adversity a little bit better. We're a little bit of a roller coaster team at times. Our best teams have been a little bit more steady. We got to find that rhythm, that steadiness.
"The biggest issue, again, I wish I had the perfect answer or explanation of this, but we haven't played consistent football in all three phases. The margin of error for us in winning is small. So we have to make those plays, especially when you're playing against a good football team. The Giants are a good football team. We're not sharp enough yet to have a wider margin of error."
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