Packers beat Bears in 24-23 thriller after Aaron Rodgers returns from

knee injury An offseason of change http://www.packerscheapstore.com/corey-linsley-jersey-cheap , of promise, and of projected rebirth came crashing to a deadening halt in the first half of the Packers 2018 season opener. As the first seconds in the second quarter ticked away, the Bears took a 10-0 lead and it was Chicago looking like the Super Bowl contender with a revamped scheme and a razor sharp quarterback. Matt Nagy’s team led by Mitchell Trubisky put up 139 yards of offense to the Packers’ 24 with just -3 net passing yards for Aaron Rodgers. Another three-and-out just a minute later incited some scattered boo’s from the sellout crowd in attendance to open the storied franchise’s 100th NFL season. So much for a revamped playbook with Joe Philbin’s return or a rejuvenated defense under new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. A defense stop gave way to another ugly possession from Mike McCarthy’s supposedly innovated offense, one that ended even uglier. A sack by Roy Robertson-Harris ended up Rodgers sprawled on the immaculate Lambeau Field turf clutching his left knee. At this point, the season could have been lost. The tends of thousands of Packer faithful had no idea they were about to witness the greatest comeback in team history, with Rodgers’ heroic return to erase a 17-point fourth quarter deficit yet to come.Pettine’s defense appeared to settle in, picking up a fourth down stop to give the ball back to the Packers, but Rodgers remained in the blue medical tent and cueing the state director for DeShone Kizer’s music. A 3rd-and-6 conversion to Randall Cobb on a pickup of 29 yards had the Packers moving in the right direction, but Khalil Mack just snatched the ball away from Kizer on a third-and-goal, killing a Packers scoring chance. Two first-round picks didn’t seem like too high a price for the player wearing 52 in white. Another defensive stop, this time a three-and-out gave Green Bay the ball back with a chance to make it a one-score game before halftime. Instead, Kizer lobbed a ball intended for Ty Montgomery on a screen right into the waiting arms of Mack who promptly housed it to boost the Chicago lead to 17-0. At that point, the score the game felt inconsequential. The Packers could withstand the loss of a game, even to a hated rival at home. After all, the Saints lost at home to Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 1 and would still be considered a Super Bowl contender so long as Drew Brees remained upright. Halftime ticked away for an eternity as the football world awaited word on Aaron Rodgers. When the Packers emerged from the locker room, Rodgers walked, then jogged to rapturous applause from the Cheesehead faithful. He was going to gut it out. But when the two-time MVP finally took the field again, his squad was down 20-0 after an opening field goal to start the half. Rodgers return breathed some life into the offense as Green Bay pushed the pace and appeared to wear down the Bears pass rush. But Vic Fangio’s defense closed down the lanes, unwilling to give up plays down the field and stymying the Packers offense. A Mason Crosby field goal cut the deficit to just 20-3. Pettine’s nebulous http://www.packerscheapstore.com/mason-crosby-jersey-cheap , switching defense now getting in a rhythm and getting after Mitch Trubisky forced a punt as the third quarter came to a close and finally the Rodgers magic act returned. An absolute dime on a moonshot toss down the right sideline to Geronimo Allison made the lead 20-10 and caused Al Michaels to exclaim “This really is Willis Reed,” invoking the famous game in which Reed battled through an injury to lead the Knicks to a win. When HaHa Clinton-Dix tackled Dion Sims to force a followup punt, the Lambeau crowd channeled that famous Madison Square Garden moment. The offense was hardly limping. Rodgers poured a teardrop pass up the sideline to Davante Adams, a 51-yard catch-and-run to set up another Rodgers-to-Adams connection, this one a 12-yarder for a touchdown. Chicago’s 20-point lead suddenly stood at just three. As had been the case so many times in the illustrious career of Rodgers, he needed his defense to get one more stop to give him a chance to go win the game. Trubisky and the Bears got the ball back with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter and Green Bay just couldn’t get off the field until after surrendering a field goal with 2:42 left to play setting up the Packers quarterback to punctuate his comeback moment. It didn’t take long to come. Facing third-and-10 and Rodgers’ mobility near zero, the Green Bay signal caller bought just enough time to find Randall Cobb streaking across the middle of the field. Breaking free, Cobb weaved down the right sideline with nothing but green grass in front of him until the very end where he was able to make a man miss and score a 75-yard heart-pumping touchdown. Eat your heart out Willis Reed. But the Packers still needed to get one stop. It appeared they had it when Jaire Alexander broke up a shot down the field, but a roughing the passer penalty on Clay Matthews gave the Bears one last chance.Matthews’ running mate redeemed him, as Nick Perry sacked Trubisky on fourth-and-10 to end the seal one of the most exciting wins in recent Green Bay memory. From riding off on a cart and Packers fans across the country worrying his season, by extension the team’s season, would be over. Instead, Rodgers added yet another chapter to his estimable legacy, kicking off the Packers’ 100th season the only way it could be: with a thrilling win over their most storied rival.Cheese Curds, 9/17: Packers should feel let down by tie game against Vikings The Green Bay Packers had a victory snatched from their grasp on Sunday, instead tying the Minnesota Vikings 29-29 after a series of unfortunate events. Those circumstances were a combination of situations of their own making — thanks to some atrocious play in the secondary by veteran players and poor execution in the red zone — and the help of some atrocious officiating.We’ll touch on both of those topics in today’s cheese curds, as we gnash our teeth about how a 1-0-1 record could impact the rest of the season. However, let’s not forget that the Packers went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the NFL, outplayed them for nearly an entire game Youth Tramon Williams Jersey , and should have emerged from the game with a victory. When the initial sting of disappointment wears off, this game could well be a building block forward as the 2018 season rolls along.Jerry Kramer enjoys one more ‘wonderful moment’ | Packers.comBefore we get into the game itself, let's take a moment to celebrate Kramer, whose name was unveiled in the Packers' ring of honor at Lambeau Field. It's a long-overdue honor, and one that Kramer described as "surreal."Packers Clay Matthews left frustrated by late roughing passer penalty | Packersnews.comNow to the game. Referee Tony Corrente has some serious explaining to do for his roughing the passer call on Matthews, even after trying to explain it once on Sunday afternoon. He tried to make the case that Matthews picked up Kick Cousins and drove him forcibly into the ground, which anyone with a working pair of eyes can see is not what happened. The only acceptable explanation would be "I blew it."Winners and losers from Packers’ Week 2 tie with Vikings | Packers WireWhile the refs clearly show up in the "losers" category, it's also worth noting that a pair of veteran defensive backs -- Davon House and Kentrell Brice -- both had awful games.Vikings-Packers tie will have major NFC North, NFL playoff implications - SBNation.comWe'll look at this a little more closely this week, but the fact that this game ended in a tie means that the week 12 matchup on Sunday night after Thanksgiving very well could be the deciding factor in the division -- and maybe a first-round bye.Vikings' Carlson on OT misses: 'I let my team down' - NFL.comCarlson missed all three of his attempts in the game, from 48, 49, and finally 35 yards. It was a surprise, given Carlson's solid track record in college, but it's clearly an issue with his confidence, as he indicated.Dozens of flights delayed after suspicious car abandoned at Sky Harbor | AZCentral.comLesson learned: don't leave your car idling in the dropoff area at an airport to help your significant other check in, because you might end up getting the bomb squad brought in and delaying flights across the entire airport.