Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur awarded game balls to edge rusher Rashan Gary and quarterback Jordan Love following his team’s dramatic 18-17 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Gary, in just his third game back from last season’s knee injury, recorded a career-high three sacks, while Love, in his first-ever start at Lambeau Field, led the Packers offense on three straight scoring drives in the fourth quarter and erased a 17-0 deficit.
Buy Packers TicketsGary sacked Derek Carr on 3rd-and-9 in the first quarter and sacked him again on 3rd-and-9 in the third quarter. Both sacks resulted in punts. The latter sack resulted in Carr’s game-ending shoulder injury. During the Packers’ furious fourth-quarter comeback, Gary helped produce a crucial stop with a sack of Jameis Winston on first down.
Sunday was Gary’s first 3.0-sack game and the Packers’ first 3.0-sack game since 2020. Gary is still playing on a snap count but looks very much like the dominant, game-wrecking player he was pre-injury.
“I don’t think there’s anybody in here who wouldn’t go to war with this dude,” LaFleur said of Gary.
The other game ball went to Love, who remained poised through the adversity of the first three quarters and then caught fire during an incredible stretch of play in the fourth quarter.
“This other dude was battling his (expletive) off, making play after play after play. You have to give it up for J-Love,” LaFleur said.
The Packers gained over 200 yards of total offense (including penalty yardage) during the fourth quarter. Love finished off one 80-yard touchdown drive with a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down and then finished off a second 80-yard touchdown drive with the go-ahead touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs.
On the game-winning drive, Love scrambled for 24 yards before hitting Jayden Reed on a perfect pass down the seam for 30 more yards, setting up his game-winner to Doubs with just under three minutes left.
Here’s LaFleur awarding the game balls in the locker room following the 18-17 win on Sunday:
"That is the most resilient performance I've ever seen in my life."
Down 17-0 & still got it done 💪#NOvsGB #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/q95gfzKn0U
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 24, 2023
