Packers vs. Redskins: Score and Twitter Reaction for Sunday Night Football

The Green Bay Packers entered Sunday's game at FedEx Field in free-fall mode, and Washington made things worse for quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Co. with a commanding 42-24 victory.

The Packers have lost four in a row and are now 4-6, while Washington is in the thick of the NFC playoff chase at 6-3-1. Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post noted it's Washington's best 10-game start since 1996.

Washington defended home-field advantage with an offensive explosion in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Kirk Cousins and his teammates scored 20 points in the final frame, which helped them outlast a 14-point effort from Green Bay.

Cousins dominated on his way to 375 passing yards and three touchdowns. Pierre Garcon tallied 116 receiving yards and a score, while DeSean Jackson (51 yards) and Jamison Crowder (102 yards) also hauled in a touchdown apiece.

According to Chick Hernandez of CSN Washington, Cousins became the seventh quarterback in franchise history to throw for more than 10,000 yards in his career. Mike Jones of the Washington Post noted he became the franchise's all-time leader with his 16th 300-yard regular-season game.

Robert Kelley steamrolled his way through the trenches for 137 rushing yards and three touchdowns in support of Cousins and the aerial attack.

On the other side, Rodgers posted an admirable 351 passing yards and three touchdowns, but his supporting cast was outmatched. He led the team in rushing yards, too, with 33, while James Starks managed just 25. Jared Cook finished with 105 receiving yards and a score, but he lost a critical fumble in the fourth quarter.

Despite the late fireworks, the two offenses struggled out of the gates, with the game's opening five possessions resulting in punts. At least Washington had a first down during that span, considering the Packers went three-and-out on their first three drives for the first time in Rodgers' career, per NFL Research.

Washington broke through when Cousins found Jackson for a 17-yard score to cap off a 55-yard drive. Matt Bowen of ESPN.com praised the veteran's route:

The Packers finally got a first down before Rodgers found Jordy Nelson for a 13-yard score after breaking free from a defender who was grabbing Rodgers' facemask. The incredible escape finished a drive that included two fourth-down conversions, one of which came via penalty.

The NFL shared a replay of the touchdown:

Despite Rodgers' heroics, it was a questionable catch. Greg A. Bedard of Sports Illustrated reacted to the notion that it wouldn't have been ruled a catch in the middle of the field:

Green Bay kept rolling with a Mason Crosby field goal on its next possession.

However, Washington responded and took a 13-10 halftime lead after Kelley knifed his way through the defense for a 10-yard score, although the home team missed the two-point conversion. John Keim of ESPN.com noted the wind was worse on that end of the field, which could have impacted the decision to forgo the extra point.

Washington did kick on the opening drive of the second half, when Dustin Hopkins buried a 37-yard field goal.

It looked as though Green Bay would collapse when Jeff Janis muffed the ensuing kickoff and left his offense at its own 2-yard line, but Rodgers found Cook for 47 yards to escape the shadow of the goal line.

Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post reacted to Donte Whitner's failure to keep up with Cook:

The drive ended with a missed 36-yard field goal by Crosby on the same end of the field where Washington went for two, and Mike Clemens of SiriusXM NFL Radio didn't hold back:

Cousins opened up a two-score lead with a perfectly placed 44-yard touchdown pass to Crowder. Washington missed the two-point conversion again, but it still had a 22-10 advantage.

The NFL passed along footage of the connection:

The game was far from over, though, as Rodgers responded with a six-play, 75-yard drive that included a 29-yard completion to Cook and a 31-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Starks. There wasn't a Washington defender near the running back in the flat, and he sprinted to the end zone.

Green Bay's burst lasted all of two plays, as Cousins hit Garcon in stride for a 70-yard touchdown. The NFL captured footage of the score, and Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports reacted to Green Bay's defensive breakdown:

"

The Packers secondary is so baaaaaaaaaad.

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) November 21, 2016"

Rodgers wouldn't go away, and he found Cook for a touchdown to cap off an 82-yard drive. The extra point trimmed the Washington lead to 29-24 with just over 10 minutes left and put the onus on Cousins to respond again.

He did just that with a successful quarterback sneak on 4th-and-1 on his own 41-yard line and a 53-yard completion to Crowder four plays later. It moved the ball to Green Bay's 1-yard line, and Kelley punched it in from there to extend the lead to double digits, although Hopkins missed the extra point.

Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today urged fans not to overlook Cousins' brilliance when critiquing Green Bay's defensive effort:

Washington's defense finally made a fourth-quarter play when Josh Norman stripped Cook. Will Compton recovered the fumble at Washington's 28-yard line, and the Packers' comeback hopes ended when Kelley exploded through the line for a 66-yard run to Green Bay's 4-yard line.

He scored a play later and clinched the win for Washington.

What's Next?

The Packers will hit the road to face the 5-5 Philadelphia Eagles before returning home for two games against the 6-3 Houston Texans and 7-2-1 Seattle Seahawks. That is a difficult stretch, and Green Bay is already looking up at the 6-4 Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions in the NFC North. It will need to beat playoff-quality opponents in the coming weeks if it wants to be a postseason squad itself.

As for Washington, it now faces three straight road games against the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals and Eagles. The Cowboys are 9-1, while the Eagles and 4-5-1 Cardinals are possible wild-card contenders. But Washington could make a move in the coming games if it plays like it did Sunday.

Postgame Reaction

Washington coach Jay Gruden said, "It'll be tough to get him out of there now," when discussing the rookie Kelley, per Brian McNally of 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C.

Tight end Jordan Reed said of Cousins, "He's a beast...needs to start getting credit," per Keim.

Gruden said he "didn't know how" Cousins was so accurate on the deep balls in the wind, per Keim.

On the other side, Packers coach Mike McCarthy criticized the pass defense in a NSFW quote, per Clemens: "Our pass defense didn't get it done. It was touchdown, touchdown, touchdown. Our ass is up against the wall."

Rodgers looked at his team's position after the loss, via the Packers: "We've put ourselves in a tough spot. We've got to find a way to get a win next week. We're in a tough stretch."

If the Packers fail to get that win next week, they will likely be watching the playoffs from home this season.