3 Takeaways From Packers' Week 4 Win vs. Patriots

A win is a win in the NFL, even if it isn't pretty for some (or even a lot) of the game.

That was the sentiment from the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, when they edged the shorthanded New England Patriots 27-24 in overtime.

Even though the Pats were down to their third-string quarterback (rookie Bailey Zappe in his NFL debut), they gave the Packers a hard fight and nearly came away with an upset victory at Lambeau Field.

Green Bay tied the game at 24 on Aaron Rodgers' 13-yard touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs with six minutes and 14 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. Then, Mason Crosby's 31-yard field goal as time expired in OT gave the Packers a come-from-behind win.

Here are three takeaways from Green Bay's Week 4 victory.

It Was a Win the Packers Needed

AP Photo/Matt Ludtke

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won 27-24 in overtime. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

The Patriots opened the season with two losses in their first three games, and that was with Mac Jones at quarterback.

They turned to Brian Hoyer to start Sunday against the Packers, but the 36-year-old exited with a head injury and never returned. That forced Zappe, a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, into action for the first time.

New England still had quality players on both sides of the ball, even if its QB was inexperienced. But Green Bay knew this was a game it shouldn't lose, especially with the high expectations it has for this season.

"You can't be 2-2 losing to a third-string quarterback and not playing great in all three phases," Aaron Rodgers said, per Mike Spofford of the team's official site. "So we had to have this one."

It helped the Packers that they had the two-time defending NFL MVP leading their offense, of course. He may have thrown a pick-six shortly before halftime that gave New England a 10-7 lead, but he also kept Green Bay in the game when it was down and guided it to victory late.

The Packers are now 3-1 (tied with the Minnesota Vikings atop the NFC North) and will look to keep their three-game winning streak going.

Doubs Continues to Prove Himself

AP Photo/Matt Ludtke

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) catches a 13-yard touchdown pass over New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones (31) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Last week, Romeo Doubs scored the first NFL touchdown in his third career game. He is serving a sizable role in the Packers' offense, as the unit has been looking for young playmakers to step up early in the season.

This week, the 22-year-old wide receiver got into the end zone again. He scored the game-tying touchdown on a 13-yard pass from Rodgers in the fourth quarter, making a nice play to beat his defender just in front of the right side of the end zone.

"He put the ball in the spot where only I can get it," Doubs said, per Kassidy Hill of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "It comes down to the same exact thing, we work on it in practice all the time. We all know the more consistent you are, eventually you'll be able to level yourself up as you move forward."

Sunday's win also provided some learning experiences for Doubs. He lost a fumble on Green Bay's second offensive play of the game, and he couldn't quite haul in a Rodgers pass in the end zone late in the fourth quarter that would have put the Packers ahead and likely could have prevented overtime.

Still, those types of things are to be expected from young receivers, and the way he bounced back to contribute in big ways throughout the win was impressive.

Defense Comes Up Big in Crunch Time

AP Photo/Morry Gash

Green Bay Packers linebacker Rashan Gary (52) celebrates after recovering a fumble by New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

It was an up-and-down game for the Green Bay defense. It held New England to 271 total yards and forced one turnover, but the Patriots also had two straight touchdown drives to open the second half when the Packers could have been pulling away.

All that mattered, though, was that Green Bay shut down New England at the most critical points of the contest. And that's exactly what happened.

The Pats went three-and-out and punted on each of their final two possessions of regulation. Then, on their only drive during overtime, they took over at their own 49-yard line. But the Packers' defense forced another three-and-out and a punt, and Green Bay won on its next possession.

"That was huge," Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur said, per Spofford. "There was a moment there, I was like, 'Oh, man, this is not looking very good.' Thankfully, our defense came up with a critical stop."

New England likely only needed about 15 yards to get into field-goal position at that point. So, without Green Bay's defense coming through in crunch time, it wouldn't have ended up on top.