Packers 20, Jets 17: Smack Wins Overtime Comeback
Packers 20, Jets 17: Green Bay steals it in overtime
Green Bay erased a 17–7 fourth-quarter deficit and beat New York 20–17 in overtime at MetLife Stadium. Christian Watson caught the comeback touchdown, Skyy Moore’s 63-yard punt return set up the tying field goal, and rookie kicker Trey Smack ended it from 26 yards. The Packers survived a cascade of offensive-line injuries, Jayden Reed’s neck injury and 14 accepted penalties for 133 yards. Both teams are 1–1.
The result overturns Football Nation’s pregame Jets lean. New York controlled most of the first three quarters and still had a 10-point lead with 11:04 remaining, but it could not finish the game. Green Bay’s defense stopped the Jets on fourth-and-1 late in regulation, then opened overtime with back-to-back sacks of Geno Smith. The Packers did not play clean football; they won the decisive snaps.
The confirmed final, scoring sequence and player statistics below come from the Packers’ official recap, the NFL game center and contemporaneous injury reporting.
Football Nation verdict up front: Green Bay’s comeback was earned, but the penalties and injury damage make this a survival win rather than proof that every Week 1 problem is solved.
The answer
The Packers won because their defense kept a disjointed offense within one score long enough for three fourth-quarter plays to flip the afternoon. Watson’s 3-yard touchdown made it 17–14. Moore’s return put the tying kick on a short field. Lukas Van Ness and the defensive front denied Braelon Allen on fourth-and-1, then buried Smith with consecutive overtime sacks. New York had the steadier game plan for three quarters and the wrong finish.
Packers–Jets final snapshot
Jordan Love finished 16 of 29 for 145 yards, two touchdowns and a 91.9 passer rating. Geno Smith completed 27 of 41 passes for 247 yards and one touchdown. Green Bay held Breece Hall to 29 rushing yards on 16 carries, although Hall added five catches for 63 yards. Matthew Golden led the Packers with 58 receiving yards; Watson caught four passes for 41 yards and the fourth-quarter score. ESPN’s final team statistics list Green Bay with 199 total yards, one turnover, a 1-for-9 third-down rate, a 0-for-1 fourth-down rate, a 2-for-4 red-zone rate and 26:57 of possession. New York finished with 285 yards, no turnovers, an 8-for-19 third-down rate, a 0-for-1 fourth-down rate, a 2-for-3 red-zone rate and 37:40 of possession.
MetLife Stadium before a Veterans Weekend event. Christopher A. Murray, U.S. Navy, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Source: Wikimedia Commons file page
How Green Bay erased a 10-point deficit
The game was tied 7–7 at halftime after MarShawn Lloyd turned a screen into his first regular-season NFL touchdown and Allen answered with a 6-yard run. New York went ahead in the third quarter when Smith found Garrett Wilson on a 5-yard touchdown. Lloyd’s fourth-quarter fumble gave the Jets a short field, and Jason Sanders’ 32-yard field goal pushed the lead to 17–7.
Love’s offense finally answered with urgency. Golden drew a long pass-interference penalty and added an 18-yard catch, then Watson crossed the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown with 7:58 left. Green Bay’s defense forced a punt, and Moore returned it 63 yards to the Jets’ 16. The Packers gained only four yards from there, but Smack hit from 34 to tie the game with 2:59 remaining.
The defensive stand and overtime finish
New York still had a chance to win in regulation. The Jets reached midfield and faced third-and-2, but Hall was stopped short. On fourth-and-1, Van Ness penetrated and combined with Jonathan Ford to stop Allen for no gain. Green Bay’s offense failed to capitalize and regulation ended on a sack, but the defense had already shown which unit could win a pressure snap.
The overtime possession was even more decisive. Barryn Sorrell and Van Ness sacked Smith on the first two plays, forcing New York into third-and-30 and a punt. Green Bay answered with an 11-yard Kaleb Johnson run, a 15-yard Chris Brooks reception plus a late-hit penalty, and a 15-yard completion to Golden. Smack’s 26-yard kick ended the game with 5:23 left in overtime.
Injuries and fantasy impact
Green Bay’s win carried a serious cost. Reed was immobilized on a spine board and carted off with a neck injury on the opening drive. Right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele suffered a knee injury on the next play and left with his leg in an air cast. Aaron Banks later exited with a toe injury, and Donovan Jennings left with a hand injury. The Packers had not announced diagnoses or return timetables at the final whistle, so Week 3 practice participation and formal medical updates remain the next factual checkpoints.
For fantasy managers, Hall’s receiving work protected part of his floor, but 29 rushing yards on 16 attempts is a sharp warning before the Jets visit Detroit. Wilson’s five catches, 57 yards and touchdown keep him in starting lineups. Watson’s touchdown salvaged a modest four-catch day, while Golden’s team-leading 58 yards matter more if Reed misses time. Love’s two touchdowns were useful, but 145 passing yards and heavy disruption keep him outside the safest quarterback tier.
Smack and Moore were the hidden fantasy and real-football winners. Smack made both late kicks under pressure, and Moore created the tying possession without requiring the offense to drive the field. Green Bay should not expect special teams to erase 133 penalty yards every week, but this was a legitimate three-phase comeback after the offense spent most of the afternoon stuck.
The strongest counterpoint is that Green Bay needed New York’s collapse and a string of high-leverage plays to escape. The Packers produced only 145 passing yards, lost the turnover battle on Lloyd’s fumble and repeatedly sabotaged themselves with penalties. A better opponent may turn that same profile into a two-score loss. The comeback proves resilience; it does not erase the execution problem.
New York’s frustration is equally specific. The Jets held the lead, received the ball first in overtime and had multiple chances to make Green Bay pay for its mistakes. Smith was efficient enough before overtime, but the offense managed only 17 points despite four Packers offensive starters leaving injured. Detroit is next, and the Jets must show that Hall’s 29 rushing yards and the late protection breakdown were matchup problems rather than the start of a larger regression.
Football Nation verdict
Green Bay deserved the 20–17 win because it owned the decisive fourth-quarter and overtime snaps. The original Jets 27–24 prediction missed: Hall never controlled the game on the ground, and the Packers’ defense—not New York’s pass rush—delivered the closing sequence. The next test is whether Green Bay can clean up the penalties and replace injured starters before Week 3. For the Jets, this is a squandered 17–7 lead that should change how their late-game offense is judged.
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Sources
Final score, statistics and injury statuses were checked Sunday, September 20, 2026 at 4:59 p.m. Central. No recovery timetable has been reported for Reed or Bako-Bewele.
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