After being stifled by the Miami Dolphins defense for most of the second half, Aaron Rodgers led the Green Bay Packers down the field in the final two minutes, hitting Andrew Quarless for a four-yard yard touchdown with just three seconds on the clock to win, 27-24.
Packers vs. Dolphins 2014 final score: 3 things we learned from Green Bay’s 27-24 win
Aaron Rodgers led a brilliant last-minute drive to cap the Packers dramatic comeback.
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The Packers began the drive at their own 40 with with just under two minutes remaining. Facing a fourth-and-ten with 1:07 left, Rodgers found Jordy Nelson down the sideline for 18 yards and a first down to keep the Packers' hopes alive. After Randall Cobb was tackled in bounds four plays later, Rodgers faked a spike and flung the ball out to Davante Adams for a 12-yard gain, setting them up on the four-yard line with just six seconds left. Rodgers completed the touchdown on the next snap.
Defense ruled the first half, with Jordy Nelson scoring the lone touchdown early in the first quarter on a nine-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers. But the Miami defense stiffened after that point, allowing just a field goal for the remainder of the half. The Packers defense, which has really come on in recent weeks, keyed off an early goal line stand to hold the Dolphins to just three points.
But Ryan Tannehill came out hot in the second half, scoring touchdowns on each of their first three possessions to charge out to a 24-17 lead.
Here are a few things we learned from the game.
1) The Dolphins can grind you down.
The Packers improved run defense did a good job corralling the Miami backs for the first half, and went into the locker with a 10-3 lead because of it. But as the second half wore on, the Dolphins began to exert their will against a tiring Green Bay front, sparking a pair of long touchdown drives. They frequently turned to Lamar Miller, who plowed in for the game-tying touchdown early in the third quarter.
The Dolphins took the lead on the next series, this time with Tannehill getting into a rhythm. He completed all four of his passes, eventually finding Mike Wallace for a five-yard touchdown. After turning the ball over three times and punting twice in the first half, the Dolphins opened the second with consecutive touchdown drives of 80, 80 and 79 yards.
2) The Packers secondary has depth issues.
It's no coincidence that Miami began getting into a rythym after the Packers lost both of their starting corners. Sam Shields, who picked Tannehill off in the second quarter, went down with a knee injury early in the third and Tramon Williams followed him out with an ankle issue minutes later. Forced into action, Casey Hayward and Jarrett Bush struggled to keep up with the Miami receivers.
3) Green Bay can ball hawk when healthy.
While Williams and Shields on the field, the Packers were a different unit. They picked off Tannehill twice in the first half, including one from Shields. The inability to force turnovers was just one of the many problems for a faulty Packers defense last season, when they had just 11 picks all year. But after Sunday, they now lead the league with nine picks already in 2014.
It been a team effort, too. All nine picks have come from a different player.
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