Green Bay had already lost the margin for error before it lost the lead. Wide receiver Jayden Reed and offensive lineman Zach Bako-Bewele were both carted off within the first three plays of the game, thinning an offense that came in already worried about its protection up front.
None of that stopped the Packers from clawing back. Christian Watson's touchdown catch and a Smack field goal tied it at 17, and Green Bay's defense turned a Jets 3rd-and-2 near midfield into a 3-yard gain with under 2 minutes left, sending the game to overtime instead of letting New York simply run it out.
Overtime belonged entirely to Green Bay's defense. Back-to-back sacks of Smith buried the Jets' first possession before it started, and a New York penalty on the ensuing punt handed the Packers enough field position to let Smack calmly drill the winner from 26 yards out.
It came despite Green Bay hurting itself all afternoon — 17 penalties, 14 accepted for 133 yards, the kind of number that usually costs a team a game like this instead of winning it. MarShawn Lloyd's early screen-pass touchdown got the Packers on the board first, and it ended up being enough of a head start to survive both the flags and the fourth-quarter deficit.