Victory Monday Cheese Curds: Packers’ win over 49ers delivers a loud early statement

For the second time in two seasons, the Packers delivered a massive victory in week three against a top NFC contender.

The Green Bay Packers went on the road in week three to face one of the NFC’s top teams and came out with a thrilling victory, delivering a massive statement to the rest of the conference that they are not to be trifled with.

That happened in 2020, when the Packers beat the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome and went on to earn the top seed in the NFC in the postseason. But last night, they did it again, this time exorcising some demons at Levi’s Stadium by beating the San Francisco 49ers 30-28.

It was a win for the ages, as Aaron Rodgers’ and Davante Adams’ heroics set up Mason Crosby for a 51-yard game-winning field goal. But how the Packers got there is just as fascinating as the ending was exciting. Adams looked to have been knocked out just minutes earlier, but he returned to catch both passes on the game-winning drive. Furthermore, the first play that got the Packers off to a great start on that series came together in practice about 72 hours before game time.

That is a game that Packers fans will not soon forget, and it helped the team prove that their week one performance truly was an aberration, as Rodgers said at the time. If the Packers go on another major run at a playoff bye and a Super Bowl in 2021, we may look back at this win as a defining moment.

Here’s how others around the internet saw the victory.

Packers stars Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams stun 49ers with 37-second, game-winning drive | ESPN
After the 49ers scored with 37 ticks remaining, two big catches from Adams was all it took to get into Mason Crosby’s field goal range.

Packers drew up key play Thursday, ran it Sunday with game on the line | Packers.com
Although Rodgers called the plays on the final drive, Matt LaFleur suggested a play that he and Rodgers just drew up this week for the first chunk play. Rodgers tweaked one route a bit, but it worked to perfection as the Packers got to midfield in just seconds.

The hit, the drive, the kick: Behind the scenes of the Packers’ thrilling last-second win over the 49ers – The Athletic (subscription)
The fact that Adams made those two final catches at all was shocking, as he appeared to have been knocked out earlier in the fourth quarter. Instead, he had the wind knocked out of him on a vicious hit by Jimmie Ward and came back in the game after missing just a single play. Adams would finish the game with double-digit receptions and over 100 yards for the second straight game, and he finally found the end zone as well.

6 standouts from Packers’ dramatic win over 49ers in Week 3 | Packers Wire
Let’s give some credit to Yosh Nijman, who made his first career start at left tackle against Nick Bosa. A rocky first drive gave way to a solid, steady performance from the third-year pro, who drew plenty of praise from his teammates after the game.

Aaron Rodgers on game-winning drive vs. 49ers: ‘How can you not be romantic about football, man?’ | NFL.com
Indeed. Hopefully there are many more thrilling, successful moments like Sunday’s before Rodgers’ time in Green Bay comes to an end.

Aaron Rodgers’ Clutch Drive to Beat 49ers Gives Packers ‘Legitimacy’ – Sports Illustrated
Give some credit to Robert Tonyan and Aaron Jones for their work in pass protection too. Jones took out Bosa on the final throw that set up the field goal, while Tonyan obliterated the 49ers’ top pass-rusher in the second quarter and he didn’t seem quite the same for the rest of the game.

Mr Goxx, the crypto-trading hamster beating human investors – BBC News
Can a hamster trading cryptocurrency beat human investors in the stock market? Mr Goxx can.