Green Bay, WI – Aaron Rodgers threw a pair of touchdown passes, lifting the suddenly resurgent Green Bay Packers over the Jacksonville Jaguars, 24-15.
Rodgers completed 22-of-35 passes for 186 yards for the Packers (5-3), who have won three straight and four of five since a brazen Monday night theft in Seattle in late September.
Randall Cobb and Donald Driver caught touchdown passes for Green Bay, which was without wide receiver Jordy Nelson due to a hamstring injury. Alex Green carried the ball 22 times for 54 yards.
"We could have played better, but we won the game," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "That's what good teams do. It's not as clean as you want it to be sometimes."
Blaine Gabbert played through a left shoulder injury and completed 27-of-49 passes for 303 yards and a touchdown for the Jaguars (1-6), who have lost four in a row.
Rashad Jennings started in place of an injured Maurice Jones-Drew and carried the ball 17 times for 59 yards for Jacksonville. He also caught six passes for 56 yards.
"I hate to be standing up here again with another loss, but there was some things today that I was impressed with," Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey said. "There are some positives we can take from this game."
Holding a 14-12 lead, the Packers created some breathing room with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Green moved the chains with a short run on 3rd- and-1 from the Jacksonville 43. James Jones then hauled in a 31-yard pass before Rodgers found Driver in the left corner of the end zone for a 4-yard score.
The Jaguars moved the ball to the Green Bay 12 on their ensuing drive before settling for a 32-yard Josh Scobee field goal.
After the Packers went three-and-out on offense, Jacksonville took over at its own 8-yard line with 5:52 to play. The Jaguars moved the ball to the 44 of the Packers, but Gabbert's pass was incomplete on 4th-and-4.
A defensive pass interference penalty on Jacksonville set up Green Bay at the 15-yard line, and Mason Crosby made a 25-yard field goal with 28 seconds left to account for the final margin.
Jacksonville's second possession of the game resulted in a field goal. Justin Blackmon caught a 36-yard pass on 3rd-and-4 to put the ball at the Green Bay 24. The Jaguars, though, had to settle for a 38-yard Scobee field goal.
The Packers responded with a 69-yard scoring drive. Jones and Green each caught passes of 12 yards to move the ball into Jacksonville territory. Jermichael Finley hauled in a 20-yard pass to put the ball at the 5-yard line. Rodgers then rolled to his left and found Cobb in the back of the end zone with 2:54 left.
Green Bay failed to take advantage of Jennings' fumble early in the second quarter. However, the Packers came up with a big play on special teams when Bryan Angers' punt was blocked by Davon House and Dezman Moses fell on the ball in the end zone for a Green Bay touchdown.
But the Jaguars scored the final nine points of the half. Scobee capped a 65- yard drive with a 22-yard field goal to make it 14-6 with 1:03 remaining.
Rodgers fumbled the ball while being sacked on the first play of the ensuing drive. Jacksonville took over at the Green Bay 13-yard line. Micheal Spurlock caught a 7-yard pass on 3rd-and-5 to move the ball to the 1-yard line. Guy Whimper followed with a 1-yard TD catch. A failed two-point conversion kept it a 14-12 game.
Crosby missed a 32-yard field goal with 1 1/2 minutes left in the third period.
Game Notes
Jones-Drew sprained his left foot at Oakland last week ... Green Bay was also without fullback John Kuhn (hamstring), linebacker Nick Perry (knee) and cornerback Sam Shields (ankle) ... The Packers failed to convert a fake punt in the third quarter ... The Packers have won 16 of their last 17 regular- season games at Lambeau Field ... The blocked punt was the first by the Packers since Sept. 29, 2003, and first returned for a touchdown since Dec. 2, 1990.
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