GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - A tie felt odd to Kirk Cousins.
On one hand, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to help rally his team from a 20-7 deficit against the Green Bay Packers.
But three missed field goals, including two in overtime, by rookie Daniel Carlson hurt. So did a pass from Cousins that bounced off Laquon Treadwell’s hands late in the fourth quarter that was intercepted by Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
It added up to a 29-29 tie on Sunday.
“I don’t know what to feel after a tie. I don’t know how to answer that,” said Cousins, who finished 35 of 48 for 425 yards. “It’s a unique place to be and proud of the way that the whole team … the way everybody stayed in it and fought.”
If only the Vikings could convert one of those field goals into points.
Carlson’s 35-yarder as time expired in overtime went right of the uprights, just like his kick from 49 earlier in overtime. Carlson also missed from 48 in the second quarter.
“It’s disappointing when you’ve got an opportunity to win the football game there at the end and you come up with a tie. It’s better than a loss,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said.
The result at Lambeau Field overshadowed memorable performances by both quarterbacks.
Green Bay star Aaron Rodgers played with a brace on his injured left knee and threw for 281 yards and a 9-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams .
But a mishandled handoff with 5:17 left in overtime cost the Packers a chance at another long field-goal attempt. Rodgers recovered the fumble on second-and-1 at the 37, and he was sacked on third down to push Green Bay back to the 47.
He wasn’t happy about the tie either.
“Close to an ’L.’ Doesn’t feel great,” Rodgers said.
Packers kicker Mason Crosby matched a career high with five field goals, but his potential game-winner from 52 went wide left as time expired in regulation.
It was the second straight week with a tie in the NFL after the Steelers and Browns played to a draw in their opener.
“It’s gross. I don’t like it. Obviously, you hate losing. A tie is just weird,” Crosby said.
Some other notes from the game:
RODGERS’ KNEE
Rodgers played well given his injury. He was sacked four times, though the protection held up relatively well, especially early in the game. While he didn’t have his typical mobility that allows him to buy time for receivers, he was able to move around enough to scramble out of trouble on occasion. Operating out of shotgun or pistol formations also bought Rodgers more time.
The quarterback isn’t sure whether he might follow a similar practice plan ahead of next week’s game against the Washington Redskins, though he said he expect to play each week. He’s not sure if the injury could linger all season.
JUST FOR KICKERS
Carlson said he thought it might have been the first time he had missed three field goals in a game. The last attempt from 35 was set up with the ball placed between the hash marks, but Carlson still missed. Asked if he had to make a decision on a new kicker, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said “I don’t know. It’s too early. (General manager Rick Spielman) and I have barely talked yet.”
JUST FOR KICKERS II
Crosby almost had six field goals, but his first, successful attempt from 52 at the end of the regulation was erased because the Vikings called timeout right before the snap.
ROUGHING IT
Everything seemed to go the Vikings’ way in the fourth, when they rallied from a 20-7 deficit. Until that point, the Packers had put together the kind of complete performance needed to support Rodgers, who got hurt in Green Bay’s opening victory against Chicago. After getting a step on his defender, Adam Thielen hauled in a 22-yard touchdown pass from Cousins with 31 seconds left just before a safety came over to help. A 2-point conversion tied the game at 29.
The drive included a roughing-the-passer penalty on Clay Matthews that negated an interception by Jaire Alexander with 1:45 left that would have allowed the Packers to run out the clock.
“I don’t know where to start, to be honest with you. I have so many emotions running through as far as what a terrible call it was,” Matthews said. “At the same time, I don’t know what else to do.”
Referee Tony Corrente said the call was not related to the new helmet-to-helmet rule.
“He picked up the quarterback and drove him into the ground,” Corrente told a pool reporter.
ALL TIED UP
According to the NFL , this is the first time since 1973 that there were two ties in the first two weeks of the season. The Lions-Packers game, along with the Eagles-Giants game, each ended a tie in the second week that year. It’s also the first time in league history that a game ended in a 29-29 tie.
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