Packers overcome Flacco's comeback attempt and beat the Bengals 27-18

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — This time, the Green Bay Packers built a double-digit lead and finished the job.

Josh Jacobs and Lucas Havrisik helped close it out.

Jacobs overcame an illness to rush for two touchdowns, and the Packers held off Cincinnati for a 27-18 victory in Joe Flacco’s Bengals debut on Sunday.

Havrisik sealed the win by making the second of his two field goals, a 39-yarder with 1:52 remaining. He also kicked a 43-yarder a day after signing with the Packers because Brandon McManus had injured his quadriceps.

“I feel a sense of relief right now,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “We always try to take it one game at a time. The bottom line is you've got to find a way to win the game. And you see each and every week around the league, a lot of these games are going down to the wire.”

While LaFleur was relieved, Jacobs was a little queasy.

The Pro Bowl running back said he vomited a couple times during the game while battling the flu, but he had a 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and opened the fourth by scoring on a 14-yard burst up the middle.

“I just kind of woke up this morning just not feeling my best," said Jacobs, who rushed for 93 yards on 18 carries. "But I told them, the last time that I felt that way, I had 130 (yards) and two touchdowns. So it is what it is.”

Green Bay's Jordan Love was 19 of 26 for 259 yards with an interception and a 19-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft.

The Packers (3-1-1) returned from a bye week and bounced back after squandering a 10-0 lead in a 13-10 loss at Cleveland and a 13-0 advantage in a 40-40 tie with Dallas.

Flacco was Cleveland’s quarterback in that victory over the Packers three weeks ago. He was acquired by Cincinnati (2-4) on Tuesday.

The 40-year-old Flacco was 29 of 45 for 219 yards and two touchdowns, but he couldn't quite dig his sixth NFL team all the way out of a 10-0 halftime deficit. The Bengals lost their fourth consecutive game.

“We gave ourselves a chance down at the end, and we did some good things, but just not enough," Flacco said.

Flacco became the eighth quarterback since at least 1950 to start against the same opponent twice in a season while playing for two different teams. The only quarterback to win both games in that scenario was Jack Kemp, who guided the AFL’s Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers past the New York Titans in 1962.

After Green Bay had dominated most of the way, Cincinnati cut the Packers' lead to 24-18 with 4:11 to go. Flacco threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase on a fourth-and-5 play, then connected with Chase Brown on a 2-point conversion.

But the Packers responded with Havrisik’s second field goal in his first NFL game since a 2023 stint with the Los Angeles Rams. He had considered getting a part-time job as he struggled to find NFL kicking opportunities.

“I’ve done substitute teaching in the past and coaching,” Havrisik said. "I moved to Cleveland recently, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to get outside, do something.’ I can’t sit down all day. Very happy to be here and play some football.”

Cincinnati’s final hope vanished when Evan McPherson was wide right on a 56-yard attempt with 41 seconds left. McPherson also made a 45-yard field goal and was well short on what would have been an NFL-record 67-yarder to end the first half.

The Bengals were outgained 240-65 in the first half, marking the fourth straight game in which they failed to reach the end zone before halftime.

Cincinnati got back into the game by opening the second half with a 17-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that lasted 10 minutes, 14 seconds. On fourth-and-goal, Flacco threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Hudson, who entered Sunday’s game without any catches all season.

Jacobs’ second touchdown made it 17-7. Cincinnati cut the lead to 17-10 with 10:43 left before Love and Kraft connected for Green Bay’s longest touchdown completion of the season.

Kraft caught the ball a couple of yards beyond the line of scrimmage, shed a tackle and lowered his shoulder to get through cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt and land in the right corner of the end zone.

“I think the ultimate goal is just going 1-0,” Love said. “It’s going to be some ugly games. Not every game is going to be pretty, it’s not going to be a blowout every time, so you just gotta find ways to win these tight ones.”

Bengals: TE Mike Gesicki (pectoral) and DE Trey Hendrickson (back bruise) both left the game.

Packers: DE Lukas Van Ness was carted into the locker room with a foot injury in the third quarter. WR Dontayvion Wicks hurt his ankle. S Javon Bullard was evaluated for a concussion.

“I know he’s going to get an MRI tomorrow,” LaFleur said about Van Ness. "I know he’s sore in his foot, but I don’t believe there was anything broken or anything like that, so we’ll have a better understanding of what’s going on tomorrow.”

Bengals: Host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday

Packers: Visit the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Green Bay Packers' Matthew Golden (0) runs after a catch aqgainst Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Josh Newton (28) in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) works for a catch against Cincinnati Bengals cornerback DJ Turner II (20) in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tanner Hudson (87) makes a touchdown catch against Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker (7) in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) celebrates his touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) scores a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen won the Australian Open for his first major professional title Sunday when his scrambled par on the final hole crushed the hopes of hometown favorite Cam Smith who was chasing his first win in more than two years.

Smith and Neergaard-Peterson came to the 72nd hole tied at 15-under after a thrilling contest over the last nine holes. Neergaard Petersen shanked his drive into difficult rough on the right with a bunker between his ball and the green.

Smith found the green with his second but with a long, sloping putt to the hole. Matter of fact as he has been throughout the week, Neergaard got up and down for par while Smith missed his difficult putt for birdie, then a 1.5 meter return putt to force a playoff.

The 26-year-old Danish player won by a single shot at 15-under 269 after rounds of 67, 66, 66 and 70. Smith started the last round two shots behind the leader, drew level by the turn and led outright after sinking a three meter put for birdie on the 10th hole.

After a birdie at the 11th, Smith bogeyed the 12th and was level with Neergaard-Petersen at 13 under. The pair stayed locked together until the final hole when Smith's missed par putt handled his opponent a career-changing victory.

“It’s hard. I’m really at a loss for words. It’s been a battle all day,” Neergaard said. “Even from the outside, you can look calm but it was a storm inside (for me) all day.

“But I managed to keep battling and to get it up and down to make that putt on the last. I don’t know what to say, to be honest.”.

Smith, the 2022 British Open champion who ended his streak of missing seven consecutive cuts this year on Friday, shot 66 Saturday and was tied for second, two strokes off the lead.

After all his missed cuts, Smith, said that it was “nice being in contention” entering the final round.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had this feeling to be honest,” he said. “I love that it’s the Australian Open. I couldn’t think of a better place to get back into form. It would shut a few people up.”

Smith has won the Australian PGA twice but has yet to win the Stonehaven Cup as the champion of his national open.

His last tournament victory came at the LIV tournament in Bedminster, England in August 2022 and his previous top-10 finish was in July.

Rory McIlroy's 11 bogeys over four days, including an unfortunate encounter with a banana peel on Saturday, kept him out of contention. On Sunday, the Northern Irishman had a final round 69, with five birdies and three bogeys, to finish in a tie for 10th.

McIlroy, the Race to Dubai winner and who completed his career Grand Slam when he won the Masters this year, was naking his first appearance at the Australian Open since 2015. He won it in 2013.

Speaking after his final round Sunday, the world No. 2 called for a more favorable schedule to attract more of the game's top players.

While he thought the sandbelt courses held massive appeal, the scheduling didn’t help the tournament attract the top overseas players.

“I obviously would love to have a few more players come down and play, but it’s hard with three tournaments going on in the schedule this week,” said McIlroy referring to the schedule clash with Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas and the DP World Tour’s Nedbank Challenge in South Africa.

"There need to be conversations had with people much more important than me that set the schedules, and hopefully the Australian Open can find a date that accommodates everyone and everyone can at least have the option to come down.”

“People seeing the scenes here on TV…it’ll definitely pique their interest,” he said.

The winner of the Australian Open, which is the second event on the European tour’s new schedule of tournaments for late this year and 2026, receives a Masters exemption next year. And the top three finishers not already exempt — Michael Hollick, Adam Scott and Si Woo Kim — have qualified for the British Open in 2026 at Royal Birkdale.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, left, speaks to Matt McCarty of the U.S., right, during the fourth round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Australia's Cameron Smith watched his putt on the 14th during the final round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, left, plays from the rough on the 18th green as his caddy Brian Nilsson watches during the final round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen celebrates after sinking his putt on the 18th during the final round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen holds the Stonehaven Cup after winning the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)