What if I told you, it only took 37 seconds for greatness to happen?

That’s all it took for quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers (2-1, 1-0 NFC North) to seal the deal in a thrilling 30-28 win over the San Francisco 49ers (2-1, 0-0 NFC West) at Levi’s Stadium Sunday night.

This heart-racing matchup had it all, so let’s dive right in.

The 49ers won the coin toss and deferred, so Rodgers and the Packers were the first to take the field Sunday night. Things appeared promising for Green Bay after Rodgers connected with wide receiver Allen Lazard for a 42-yard pickup on 3^rd and 3 and running back Aaron Jones rushed for 11 yards on the following play.

However, it didn’t take long for San Francisco’s star defensive end, Nick Bosa, to wake up and cause chaos against Green Bay’s left tackle Yosh Nijman. He blew by Nijman on multiple plays and even batted down one of Rodgers’ passes, ultimately forcing the Packers to attempt a 54-yard field goal. Mason “Money” Crosby was good from 54-yards out and Green Bay took an early 3-0 lead.

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers offensive squad took the field in their home stadium for the first time since the 2019 NFC Championship game against the Packers and struggled to find much of anything on their first drive. Garoppolo connected with tight end George Kittle for 8 yards and a first down on 2^nd and 6 but, after that, Green Bay’s defense did exactly what they needed to do. Linebacker Preston Smith and defensive tackle Kenny Clark applied great pressure and forced a 3-yard loss and then cornerback Chandon Sullivan broke up a pass intended for wide receiver Mohamed Sanu which forced the 49ers to punt.

After a gift from the defense, Green Bay’s offense gleefully took advantage. Rodgers connected with WR1 Davante Adams for 12 yards and a first down. Then, after missing him multiple times in week two, Rodgers went deep to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling and connected with him for a 47-yard gain on 2^nd and 8 to put Green Bay at San Francisco’s 19. Two plays later on 3^rd and 6, Rodgers escaped the pocket and connected with Adams for a 14-yard gain to put the Packers at the 1-yard line. And, to close out the four-minute, 80-yard drive, Rodgers connected with Adams for a 1-yard pass play off an artistic play call from Matt LaFleur to give Green Bay a 10-0 lead.

According to Packers writer Wes Hodkiewicz, Davante Adams has now caught at least one touchdown pass in 10 consecutive Sunday Night Football games.

From there, the defense continued to show up for the Packers in the first half, forcing an impressive three and out and putting the ball back in 12’s hands almost immediately.

With just under two minutes left in the first quarter, Rodgers connected with Lazard for another deep pass play and a defensive pass interference call on the 49ers earned the Packers 25 free yards. However, the momentum was short lived after San Francisco defensive end Arik Armstead got to Rodgers for a sack on the Packers’ next third down and Green Bay was forced to punt for the first time all night.  

Luckily, the Packers’ defense continued to answer the call. On the next drive, star cornerback Jaire Alexander came through with a jaw dropping interception and returned in 30 yards to Green Bay’s 42. From there, Rodgers and the offense did what they could to take advantage of this gift. 12 connected with Adams for 10 yards and first down, then Jones rushed for 10 yards and the first down, however, it still wasn’t quite enough. After failing to convert on third down, the Packers attempted to go for it on 4^th and 1 and couldn’t convert after a clear miscommunication between rookie center Josh Myers and Aaron Rodgers.

Pinned deep in their own territory, San Fran struggled to get into a rhythm on their next drive. After converting for two first downs, the 49ers momentum was quickly squashed after linebacker Jonathan Garvin and defensive tackle TJ Slaton got to Jimmy G for a combined sack and 7-yard loss, which led to a big third down stop on the next play for the Packers.

After punting and turning it over on downs, the third time was the charm for Green Bay. After a 32-yard gain thanks to another defensive pass interference call on 3^rd and 6, Rodgers and Adams rolled down the field for the Packers. Rodgers connected with Adams for 15 yards and then 19 yards before mixing it up with tight end Robert Tonyan for a 6-yard gain to give the Packers a fresh set of downs on the goal line. From there, Jones, with an assist from a just stellar block from Lazard, rushed it in for 3-yards and a touchdown to extend Green Bay’s lead to 17-0.

Just when it looked like the Packers were going to shut out the 49ers at half, good ole special teams had other plans. With 1:02 left in the half they allowed a 68-yard kick return where Crosby had to make the touchdown saving tackle. After that, the 49ers cruised to the red zone, with help from a defensive pass interference call from rookie cornerback Eric Stokes. And, as time expired, San Fran brought in rookie Trey Lance at quarterback to run it in for a touchdown to cut the Packers’ lead to 17-7 at the half.

After the half, you could almost feel the momentum shift through the television. The 49ers got the ball and wasted no time cutting the Packers’ lead to a field goal. On 3^rd and 1, Lance came back in for a direct snap and moved the chains with a 2-yard pick-up. Then, San Fran converted for first downs on back-to-back plays. Green Bay’s defense wasn’t going out without a fight though; linebacker De'Vondre Campbell came up with two big stops on back-to-back plays. Sadly though, it wasn’t enough as Garoppolo connected with Samuel for 16 yards and a first down. Then, despite a heavy blitz Jimmy G still for the ball out in time to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk for an 8-yard touchdown. And, just like that, it was 17-14 Packers.

When both teams needed to produce to try and gain control, they each responded with three and outs. And, the Packers needed to swing momentum back on their side now more than ever. Thanks to yet another defensive pass interference call on the 49ers, the Packers were gifted 27 yards and an automatic first down. After that, Jones picked up 12 yards and the first down the close the third quarter, Then, on 3^rd and 4, Rodgers continued to stay true to his word to “make it up” to MVS and connected with him on a 12-yard dime for a touchdown to extend Green Bay’s lead to 24-14.

San Fran was not going down without a fight though. After back-to-back sacks from linebacker Rashan Gary, the Packers were flagged for a questionable defensive pass interference penalty on Stokes and gave up 35 yards on the play. Then, another suspect call was made after Garoppolo connected with Sanu for a 16-yard pickup which, despite the challenge from the Packers, was ruled a catch. After that, Green Bay gifted San Fran with a defensive holding penalty which lead to running back Trey Sermon rushing in for a 1-yard touchdown to cut the Packers’ lead to 24-21.

Then, a nightmare scenario started to unravel for Green Bay. On first down, Rodgers went deep to Adams who was hit helmet-to-helmet and extremely shaken up on the play. Despite the clear contact in a defenseless position, the officials didn’t even throw a flag on the play. Thankfully, Adams walked off on his power and returned just two plays later. However, the Packers continued to find nothing with the deep ball and were forced to punt.

After what felt like a never-ending cycle of horrific calls from the officials that all fell in San Fran’s favor, Clark proved that the ball never lies and came up huge for Green Bay, sacking Jimmy G and forcing a fumble which was recovered by Campbell and the Packers at San Fran’s 38-yard line with about five minutes to play.

However, the Packers weren’t able to put the game away after throwing an incomplete pass on 3^rd and 4 and using their final timeout. Crosby was able to extend Green Bay’s lead a bit after drilling home a 38-yard field goal to make it 27-21, but we all knew that wasn’t enough.  

With 2:39 left and all three of their timeouts, Jimmy G and the 49ers carved up the Packers’ defense. Garoppolo immediately connected with Kittle for a monstrous 39-yard pickup. Then, to pour salt in the wound, the Packers gave up two 3^rd and 10’s to keep the 49ers in it. And, after that, fullback Kyle Juszczyk looked like he was the hero for San Fran after scoring a 12-yard touchdown to give the 49ers their first lead of the night at 28-27 with just seconds remaining.

So, with 37 seconds left on the clock, no timeouts, and backed up at their own 25, Aaron Rodgers did what he does best: close games out. Immediately, he connected with Adams for a 25-yard pickup to put Green Bay at midfield. Then, Rodgers and the offense sprinted to the ball to spike it dead and have a moment to regroup. After that, 12 looked to 17 again but threw an incomplete pass. Then, on 3^rd and 10, Rodgers connected with Adams again for 17 yards and jetted to spike the ball to stop the clock.

With time ticking away in this insane primetime matchup, Green Bay put all its faith in the hands, or rather, the feet, of kicker Mason Crosby. His 51-yard field goal was good, and the Packers topped the 49ers 30-28 in what is sure to be a momentum-building win.

What we learned: This team can fight

After an energy-draining loss in week one, many people were left wondering if this Packers team had the “heart” necessary to be one of the NFL’s top teams and, a win over Detroit really wasn’t the best opportunity for them to build a strong case for themselves.

Sunday night’s game, however, proved that this Packers team has all the heart they need, and then some. This matchup truly had it all and Green Bay never stopped fighting. When the Packers get in close-game situations later this season, their ability to overcome adversity in this game will serve as a huge benefit to their confidence and play-making ability on both sides of the ball. For the first time all season, it felt like Green Bay had a heartbeat and it was awesome to watch.  

What went right: Keeping the play calling creative, first half defense, Mason Crosby

In order to have a fighting chance in this game the Packers had to keep it creative on the offensive side of things and, for the most part, they delivered. It’s no secret that LaFleur and Hackett have some tricks up their sleeve, and it was nice to finally see them dig deeper into the playbook Sunday.

Joe Barry’s first half defense also came up huge for the Packers and was a big difference maker in this game. They only allowed one touchdown in the half, and it really wasn’t there fault after special teams gave up such a horrific kickoff return.

Also, I hope Mason Crosby never retires. I’ve never even met him and he’s one of the most reliable people in my life. Thanking my lucky stars for him.

What went wrong: Abandoning the run and giving up third and longs

This was easily the best showing for the Packers this season but one thing that really stood out was how they continue to abandon the run at times. As I’ve mentioned in prior recaps, this offense is most efficient when it’s balanced. Forcing deep balls when the play isn’t there is just lethal at times for Green Bay.

The number of times the Packers gave up third and longs on defense was also painful, and extremely costly. Green Bay was fortunate Rodgers and Crosby saved the day, but they may not be so lucky every single time.

Offensive MVPs: Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams

The league continues to have virtually no answers for 12 and 17 and Sunday night proved they are back and better than ever.

Rodgers finished the day 22/33 for 261 yards and 2 TDS (ESPN stats) while Adams led the team in receiving with 12 receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown (ESPN stats). I’m so glad Adams seems to be OK after getting shaken up late in the game. These two are just tremendous together.

Defensive MVPs: De’Vondre Campbell and Kenny Clark

Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell is proving that he is one of, if not the best, players the Packers acquired this offseason. He had a terrific game on Sunday and led the team with 12 tackles, 6 of which were solo (ESPN stats) and recovered Jimmy G’s fumble. So far, he’s proved to be a much-needed addition to this defense.

Although it won’t show up in the stat sheet too much, defensive tackle Kenny Clark was out there absolutely ballin’ on Sunday. He looked like a mad man applying pressuring at times and it was a sight to see. He finished the day with 2 total tackles, 1 of which was solo, and 1 QB hit that led to San Fran's fumble.

Linebacker Preston Smith also had a great showing Sunday as well.

Up next, the Green Bay Packers get a visit from the Pittsburg Steelers at Lambeau Field. Kickoff is set for Sunday, October 3 at 4:25 p.m. EST.