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Rodgers lifts Packers over Cowboys in another thriller

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) scrambles before throwing a pass as offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga watches Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (90) attempt the stop in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in Arlington, Texas.

ARLINGTON, Texas >> Aaron Rodgers threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams with 11 seconds remaining, lifting Green Bay over the Dallas Cowboys 35-31 Sunday in another thriller nine months after the Packers’ divisional playoff win on the same field.

Rodgers capped a 75-yard drive in just 1:02, going toward the same end zone as in the playoff game. Then, Rodgers’ long completion to Jared Cook on third-and-20 in the final seconds set up Mason Crosby’s winning field goal as time expired in a 34-31 win.

Adams was active 10 days after leaving the field on a stretcher on a helmet-to-helmet hit that resulted in a suspension for Chicago linebacker Danny Trevathan. He had seven catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns.

Dak Prescott had given Cowboys the lead on an 11-yard touchdown run with 1:13 remaining to cap a 17-play drive that lasted almost nine minutes. Dallas (2-3) has already matched the number of losses from the magical rookie season for Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott.

The Packers (4-1) had gone ahead earlier on Damarius Randall’s 21-yard interception return for a touchdown, the third of five lead changes in the fourth quarter. Green Bay rallied from 15 points down in the first half after letting a 21-3 lead get away in last season’s playoff win.

Aaron Jones became the first Green Bay running back with 100 yards in his first start as a rookie since Samkon Gado in 2005. He had 19 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown.

Elliott ended a three-game drought without 100 yards, matching the longest from his rookie season, finishing with 116 yards on 29 carries.

Rodgers was 19 of 29 for 221 yards and three touchdowns and set up the winning score with an 18-yard scramble.

Prescott looked the part of Rodgers, scrambling to set up big completions and running 21 yards himself on one play to help the Cowboys build a 21-6 lead. He was 25 of 36 for 251 yards and three first-half touchdowns, two to Cole Beasley and one to Dez Bryant.

WELCOME BACK

DE David Irving returned from a four-game suspension for Dallas with two sacks. He had a sack and three forced fumbles with a recovery in last year’s 30-16 win in Green Bay during the regular season.

DEZ MILESTONE

Bryant’s 10-yard scoring catch made him the second Dallas receiver with 70 for his career. Hall of Famer Bob Hayes is the franchise leader with 71.

PAT TROUBLE

Crosby’s first PAT clanged off the left upright in the first quarter, and the second was wide left in the second quarter. Crosby missed two point-after kicks in 2014, the year before the NFL made the kick a 33-yarder. He made all 36 kicks the first year of the longer distance, but missed three last season.

INJURIES

Packers: Rookie CB Kevin King left with a concussion in the first half. He had a big hit on Elliott on a screen pass on the first play of the game.

Cowboys: Rookie CB Chidobe Awuzie, who was playing safety as well, left with an injured hamstring for the second time this season. It was his first game back after missing two games by aggravating the injury in Denver. He had hamstring issues throughout training camp.

UP NEXT

Packers: First NFC North road game at Minnesota next Sunday.

Cowboys: Bye, then at San Francisco on Oct. 22.

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