NFL: Green Bay Hands Arizona First Loss In Thursday Night Thriller

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray needed 99 yards for the win. He got 94. 

Rasul Douglas intercepted Murray in the end zone, and Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers moved to 7-1 while handing Arizona their first loss of the season in a 24-21 Thursday Night classic. 

With just over four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Packers looked like they had taken a two possession lead, essentially putting the game on ice. But the referees felt that Green Bay running back Aaron Jones was down before crossing the goal line, reversing the call of touchdown on the field. 

Fox announcers Joe Buck and Troy Aikman felt that there wasn’t enough on the replay to reverse the call — rules expert Mike Pereira felt the same — yet the Green Bay offense was forced to head back on the field. Jones was stuffed on second and goal, Rodgers got to within inches of the end zone on third down, and Devon Kennard knocked down Rodgers pass on fourth and goal. 

Murray was then put in the position that we’ve seen Rodgers in countless times in his career, and he almost delivered the drive of his career.

After taking over at their own one-yard line with just over three minutes in the game, Murray completed three passes of over 20 yards, putting Arizona into position to either kick the game-tying field goal or send the Packers home with a shocking loss. 

With 15 seconds left and a second and goal from the five-yard line, Murray tried to hit A.J. Green in the endzone, but miscommunication between the seven-time Pro Bowler and Murray led to a game-winning interception by Douglas. 

RASUL DOUGLAS INTERCEPTS MURRAY. #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/ZIDly9m0Bc

— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2021

“Miscommunication, obviously. I mean, we feel like it’s a safe throw if he knew the route to run,” Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “No question. … It was the right place to go with the ball. Just didn’t communicate on some level and then the guy made a good play.”

Green never turned around to locate the ball, leading Douglas — who was signed by Green Bay from Arizona’s practice squad just weeks ago — to have his Packers moment. 

“You’re in a crazy mental state being in the league five years, never been on a practice squad before, and then one day you’re just on a practice squad,” Douglas said. “You feel like you’re working for