There are officially no unbeaten teams in the 2021 NFL season after the Arizona Cardinals suffered a 23-20 loss in their Thursday Night Football clash against short-handed Green Bay Packers.
The Packers were heavy underdogs entering the game after it became clear that their top three wideout options Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling would be unavailable. They also had issues on other positions, missing several key players like corner Jaire Alexander, outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith, and left tackle David Bakhtiari. Still, Green Bay managed to overcome all problems and get on top thanks to an efficient ground game and several huge plays by their banged-up defense.
Running back duo AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones carried the offense, combining for 137 rushing yards. Jones, who had a rushing touchdown, was also the Packers’ main weapon in the passing game with seven catches for 51 yards.
Veteran Randall Cobb, who took the No. 1 WR role against the Cardinals, also had a big impact. While only having three catches for 15 yards, Cobb was reliable when it counted the most and finished the night with two receiving TDs.
However, the hero for the Packers was none other than corner Rasul Douglas. With 15 seconds left on the clock, Douglas intercepted the Cardinals’ quarterback Kyler Murray in the end zone and won the game for his team. To make things even better, the 26-year-old previously spent time on Arizona’s practice squad before being signed by Green Bay.
After the game, Douglas received praise from his teammates, including star QB Aaron Rodgers:
“How special is this game? Guy’s on the street, comes in, starts for us, finishes the game out for us. Amazing,” Rodgers said.
