Kevin King – File Photo
The game was closer than the final score, but the New England Patriots scored 14-straight points in the fourth quarter to knock off the Green Bay Packers 31-17 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on Sunday night.
With the game tied 17-17 and the Packers driving, Aaron Jones fumbled the ball away. The Patriots went on to pull out the win.
The Patriots, who won their sixth straight game, used the trick play to outfox the Packers. The Packers defense played well enough to win for the most part, but they had no answer for a pair of trick plays.
New England used a first half fleaflicker to set up a field goal. Then in the fourth quarter, a reverse pass throwback from Julian Edleman to running back James White gained 37 yards, giving the Patriots the ball first and goal at the two.
The Patriots doubled Packers wide receiver Davante Adams much of the night. Adams caught six passes for 40 yards and a touchdown.
The game was billed as a battle of Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Tom Brady threw for 294 yards and a touchdown, while Aaron Rodgers completed 24 of 42 passes for two touchdowns. Neither disappointed, but the rest of the Patriots outdueled the rest of the Packers. And in the end, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick out-coached Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
The Packers were already thin at safety after Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was traded to Washington earlier in the week. The Jermaine Whitehead was ejected in the second quarter after slapping Patriots center David Andrews in the facemask.
The Packers came into the game in good health. But they left with some injury issues. Right tackle Bryan Bulaga left in the first half with a knee injury and didn’t return. CB Kevin King left with a hamstring injury and didn’t return and safety Kentrell Brice left in the third quarter with a knee injury.
The Packers return home to host the Miami Dolphins this Sunday at Lambeau Field before once again facing back to back road games at Seattle and at Minnesota.