SPORTS LINE
Green Bay Packers defeated the Houston Texans 24-22 on a game-winning field goal by Brandon McManus as time expired.
It was his first kick in 287 days. The Packers overcame three first-half turnovers, including two interceptions by Jordan Love. But after the Texans took the lead with just under 2 minutes on their own field goal, Love got the Packers in field goal range, and then McManus drilled the 45-yard kick. Brandon McManus insisted he hadn’t planned to do a “Lambeau leap” if he made a winning field goal in his Green Bay Packers debut. But when he kicked a 45-yard field goal as time expired to give Green Bay a 24-22 victory over Houston on Sunday, McManus couldn’t help himself. He jumped into the corner of the end-zone stands to celebrate with the Lambeau Field crowd. Green Bay (5-2) overcame three turnovers to win its third straight and snap Houston’s three-game winning streak. The Packers released rookie Brayden Narveson and signed McManus on Wednesday. McManus has made over 90% of his career field-goal attempts from less than 50 yards, while Narveson had gone 12 of 17 without attempting any from beyond 49 yards. McManus answered the call Sunday. Even after the Texans called timeout as he tried his first kick, McManus delivered the second time.
Packers holder Daniel Whelan did a nice job getting the ball down for McManus after fielding a low snap. Love completed 24 of his 33 pass attempts for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Unfortunately, turnovers remained a problem for Green Bay as he also threw two interceptions. Turnovers have been a big problem for Love this year and that trend continued into week seven. On the opening drive, he threw an interception and Houston capitalized with a field goal to take an early 3-0 lead. The Packers have won their third-straight game and move to 5-2. They travel to Jacksonville next week, taking on the 2-5 Jaguars on Sunday, October 27th at noon
The Milwaukee Bucks.
The Milwaukee Bucks are undoubtedly contenders to win it all this year, primarily due to the superstar duo of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, significant concerns could hinder their path to a deep playoff run. While Lillard and Giannis give the Bucks two of the league’s top talents, questions about injury risks, age, and the capabilities of head coach Doc Rivers loom over the team. Lillard, now 34, has missed 77 games over the past two seasons and sat out in Games 5 and 6 in last year’s playoffs. Khris Middleton, another key player, has also struggled with injuries, missing 76 games in the last two seasons and undergoing surgery on both ankles. Even Giannis, who is typically more durable, dealt with a calf injury that kept him out of the postseason.
The Milwaukee Bucks hired first-time head coach Adrian Griffin, fired him a few months later, and somehow finished with a much worse record under his replacement, Doc Rivers. Doc Rivers has a reputation as a solid regular-season coach, but his history of playoff disappointments raises concerns. After taking over midseason last year and posting a 17-19 record, he faced criticism for struggling to implement his system without a full offseason or his preferred coaching staff. Now, with a full training camp and his chosen staff in place, Rivers has no excuses. It was not just coaching that kept the 2021 NBA champions from winning a playoff series for the second straight season. Damian Lillard did not arrive in Milwaukee until the dawn of last season’s training camp.
As a result, he and Giannis Antetokounmpo spent the season in search of a chemistry that never came. Meanwhile, Lillard, Brook Lopez, and Khris Middleton were all entering their mid-30s in various stages of decline, and the Bucks had no depth to support them. Maybe a full training camp under Rivers will be enough for Antetokounmpo and Lillard to perfect their pick-and-roll partnership and build chemistry with a revamped rotation, even if Middleton’s absence adds another wrinkle. The Milwaukee Bucks played their final preseason game on Thursday evening so it’s now or never to prove themselves worthy of a championship win.
