NFC North Week 4 roundup: Packers edge Patriots in OT, Vikings hang on in London, Lions lose shootout with Seahawks

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Mason Crosby made a 31-yard field goal as time expired in overtime and the Green Bay Packers topped the New England Patriots 27-24 on Sunday at Lambeau Field, spoiling rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe’s NFL debut.

Zappe, a fourth-round pick from Western Kentucky, played the majority of the game after Brian Hoyer left with a head injury. Hoyer made his first start since 2020 in place of Mac Jones, who injured his left ankle during a 37-26 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.

Hoyer led the Patriots to Nick Folk’s 37-yard field goal on the opening drive, but he got sacked by Rashan Gary on the next series and departed.

Zappe and the Patriots (1-3) played well enough to force overtime, but Aaron Rodgers bounced back from a dreadful first half to continue his recent home mastery of AFC teams. The Packers (3-1) are 18-1 in the last 19 home games Rodgers has started against AFC foes.

After the Packers went three-and-out on the opening possession of overtime, Marcus Jones’ 20-yard punt return gave the Patriots the ball at their 49-yard line. But they also went three-and-out.

The Packers then marched 77 yards in a 12-play drive that lasted nearly seven minutes before Crosby made his winning kick.

The Packers had tied the game at 24 on Rodgers’ 13-yard touchdown pass to rookie Romeo Doubs with 6:14 remaining. They nearly connected again in the closing minutes of regulation.

With the Packers facing third-and-8 from the New England 40, Rodgers threw deep to a diving Doubs in the right corner of the end zone. Dobbs got past Jonathan Jones and caught the pass, but the ball slipped out of his hands after he landed.

Rodgers went 4 of 11 for 44 yards with an 11.2 passer rating in the first half, the worst rating the four-time MVP has recorded for any half in his 18-year career, according to ESPN Stats & Info. That included a Patriots touchdown on Jack Jones’ 40-yard interception return, which lifted them to a 10-7 halftime lead.

It was Rodgers’ first pick-six since the Tampa Bay Bucaneers’ Jamel Dean scored on a 32-yard return in a 38-10 victory over the Packers on Oct. 18, 2020.

Rodgers rebounded after halftime and ended up 21 of 35 for 251 yards with touchdown passes to Doubs and Robert Tonyan — the latter the tight end’s first score since tearing an anterior cruciate ligament last season. Aaron Jones rushed for 110 yards to lead Green Bay’s 188-yard ground attack.

Zappe was 10 of 15 for 99 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to DeVante Parker. The ball appeared to get snapped after the play clock expired on Parker’s touchdown, but no penalty was called.

New England’s Damien Harris rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Rhamondre Stevenson ran 14 times for 66 yards.

Justin Jefferson bounced back from two quiet games and Greg Joseph made amends for a missed extra point.

The Minnesota Vikings star receiver scored a touchdown and beat Marshon Lattimore on a 39-yard reception to set up Joseph’s 47-yard field goal with 24 seconds left, and the Vikings hung on for a 28-25 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Many of the Vikings (3-1) thought they were headed to overtime when Saints kicker Wil Lutz lined up for his 61-yard tying attempt. And why not? Lutz had hit a 60-yarder on their previous possession.

This one had the distance but hit the left upright and then the crossbar before bouncing out as time expired.

“When it left his foot I thought it was going in,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “It felt like that thing had a real good chance to go through, and obviously a couple of bounces later we’re able to walk off as the winning team.”

Joseph’s go-ahead kick came after he missed an extra point earlier in the quarter after Jefferson ran it in from 3 yards with 4:15 left. The missed kick left the Vikings with a 25-22 lead.

The Saints (1-3), who have lost three straight, then had an eight-play drive and Lutz made a 60-yard field goal with 1:51 left to tie the game.

“I thought they were both in,” Lutz said. “I hit them both on the screws. The second one just moved a little more left. So kind of shocked it didn’t bounce in.”

Jefferson had 10 receptions for 147 yards after being limited to a total of nine receptions and 62 yards in the previous two games, He was pleased to finally see some single coverage.

“Lattimore pretty much followed me the whole game, pretty much was a one-on-one battle the majority of the game,” Jefferson said. “I was telling (O’Connell) the whole game we should throw it up, give me a chance to go up and make a big play.”

Joseph was 5 of 5 on field goals as the Vikings squandered multiple scoring chances but held off a Saints team that played without starting quarterback Jameis Winston and running back Alvin Kamara.

Kirk Cousins completed 25 of 38 passes for 273 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Vikings under O’Connell are off to their best start since going 4-0 in 2016.

The Saints arrived early in the week to acclimate to the time difference, but their losing streak is now at three games under coach Dennis Allen.

“We still have to find a way to not hurt ourselves with penalties and the turnovers, and that’s got to change,” Allen said.

Down 16-7, backup quarterback Andy Dalton led two scoring drives to help the Saints take a 22-19 lead. Saints tight end/quarterback Taysom Hill took a direct snap and ran it in from 2 yards for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, and Dalton found a wide-open Jarvis Landry for the 2-point conversion.

Dalton completed 20 of 28 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown.

After the Saints cut the Minnesota lead to 16-14 on Latavius Murray’s 1-yard run late in the third quarter, the Vikings drove again and Joseph made it 19-14 with a 46-yard field goal early in the fourth.

The Vikings led 13-7 and had first-and-goal on the 3 after Jefferson’s 41-yard reception in the third quarter but were pushed back by a delay-of-game penalty. Cousins then threw short to Adam Thielen instead of going to a wide-open Jefferson in the back of the end zone.

One play earlier, Cousins threw behind Jefferson in the end zone and the receiver couldn’t hold on.

Geno Smith and Rashaad Penny were so good the Seattle Seahawks never needed their punter.

Smith accounted for three touchdowns in the first half and Penny had a pair of long second-half scoring runs, helping the Seahawks hold off the Detroit Lions for a 48-45 win Sunday at Ford Field.

“An old-fashioned shootout,” Smith said.

It was yet another high-scoring game for the Lions, who are averaging 35 points and giving up slightly more. They are the first team in NFL history to have scored and allowed a combined 281 points through the first four games of a season.

“We’re going to look at everything,” coach Dan Campbell said. “I have a lot of faith in (defensive coordinator) Aaron Glenn. That’s why I hired him, but I think we need to take a deep dive on our defense from the coaching all the way down.”

The Seahawks (2-2) were stopped on third down late in the third quarter, but the game clock wasn’t set properly. The Seahawks made the most out of the second chance and the unorganized Lions defense on Penny’s 36-yard touchdown run on third-and-16, opening a 38-23 lead.

“It’s just unfortunate the play was snapped,” coach Pete Carroll said. “We were able to take advantage.”

T.J. Hockenson had eight receptions and set career highs with 179 receiving yards and two touchdowns, the second of which helped the Lions (1-3) pull within three with 5:26 remaining.

Smith completed a couple more passes on the ensuing drive, which ended with Penny’s 41-yard touchdown run on third-and-5. Penny finished with 151 yards on 17 carries.

Jared Goff’s fourth touchdown pass went to Justin Jackson with 1:06 left, cutting the deficit to three once again. The Lions’ comeback hopes ended when the Seahawks recovered the onside kick and Penny’s run converted a third-and-5 in their territory.

Smith finished 23 of 30 for 320 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown pass to Will Dissly and a 2-yard pass to Noah Fant after Kalif Raymond fumbled that gave the Seahawks a 15-point lead late in the first half. The veteran quarterback ran seven times for 49 yards, including an 8-yard score on his second drive, and Carroll said the team should have carried him off the field.

“Geno played spectacular football,” Carroll said. “I don’t know how you could play a whole lot better than that.”

Smith’s favorite target was DK Metcalf, who had seven catches for 149 yards and beat Jeff Okudah in at least two one-on-one situations after saying the cornerback wasn’t locking down anyone.

“I don’t think we have a lockdown corner in our game today,” Metcalf said.

Detroit’s high-scoring offense was productive, but it couldn’t overcome the team’s dismal defense that allowed the Seahawks to score more in one afternoon than they had combined in their three previous games.

Goff was 26 of 39 for 378 yards with an interception on the first snap of the second half that Tariq Woolen returned 40 yards for a score to put the Seahawks up 31-15.

“I’m still kicking myself because of the interception,” Goff said. “That could have been the difference in the game. I made a bad decision late in the play, and you can’t do that.”

Jamaal Williams, carrying a heavier load with D’Andre Swift out with injuries, ran 19 times for 108 yards and two touchdowns.