The Apex Times
Above the Noise
Scores
NHLNextANA @ NYR10/19 - 7:00 PM EDT
NHLNextCOL @ PHI10/19 - 7:00 PM EDT
NHLNextSJ @ TOR10/19 - 7:30 PM EDT
MLBNextCLE @ TB10/19 - 8:00 PM EDT
NFLNextWSH @ SF10/19 - 8:15 PM EDT
NHLNextPIT @ UTA10/19 - 9:00 PM EDT
NBANextBOS @ DET10/20 - 3:00 PM EDT
NBANextPHI @ NY10/20 - 7:00 PM EDT
CFBNextMTSU @ FIU10/20 - 7:00 PM EDT
CFBNextMOST @ DEL10/20 - 7:00 PM EDT
CFBNextUSA @ MRSH10/20 - 7:30 PM EDT
NBANextOKC @ SA10/20 - 9:30 PM EDT
CFBNextNMSU @ SHSU10/21 - 8:00 PM EDT
CFBNextJMU @ APP10/22 - 7:00 PM EDT
CFBNextLIB @ KENN10/22 - 7:00 PM EDT
UFCNextUFC 333Scheduled
CBBNextND @ VILL11/1 - 9:30 AM EST
CBBNextLIB @ HPU11/1 - 11:59 PM EST
NFLFinalDAL @ GBDAL 13, GB 23 / Final
NFLFinalLAC @ KCLAC 6, KC 22 / Final
NFLFinalBUF @ LVBUF 33, LV 30 / Final
NFLFinalARI @ LARARI 18, LAR 16 / Final
NFLFinalCHI @ ATLCHI 31, ATL 23 / Final
Back to front
Packers’ opening-drive TD: what history did it make, and how did it happen?
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Sports/The Apex Times/Oct 19, 3:56 PM EDT

Packers’ opening-drive TD: what history did it make, and how did it happen?

Green Bay opened with a 90-plus-yard, time-consuming touchdown drive against Dallas that marked a rare streak of similar opening results.

By The Apex Times Newsroom2 min readAI-assisted Apex article

The Packers’ season-opening look in Week 6 produced a specific kind of NFL rarity: their opening-possession touchdown drive went for 90-plus yards for a second straight game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, which counts this as only the second such run since 1978.

In Sunday Night Football against Dallas, Green Bay started the scoring with a 90-yard march that covered 14 plays and took 6 minutes, 30 seconds off the first-quarter clock, finishing with a touchdown to make it a fast, controlled tone-setter for the offense.

That drive included a brief early miscue, starting with a 2-yard loss by running back MarShawn Lloyd on the first snap. After consecutive completions for 22 yards to wide receiver Savion Williams, the Packers converted third downs and moved into the Dallas side of the field.

Quarterback Jordan Love found Christian Watson for a 27-yard gain to reach midfield, then the ground game showed early friction as Lloyd lost yardage and Pierre Strong Jr. got nothing on his first carry. The drive stayed alive anyway, helped by a 37-yard catch by Matthew Golden after Love lofted a pass toward the left sideline.

Penalties and setbacks did not stop the sequence. After an exchange of five-yard infractions on each team and a sack that cost three yards, Love still hit Strong for a short completion on third-and-13. Strong converted again by making tacklers miss before reaching the sideline first-down marker, preserving the drive’s third-down momentum.

From there, Green Bay kept finding end-zone solutions on third downs: Love hit Golden again on a touchdown route from the 9-yard line, turning the opening series into one of the league’s most notable “start fast” stretches. Despite sacks and lost yardage, Love threw for 109 passing yards on the drive, and the release credits it as the most passing yards on an opening drive since Patrick Mahomes had 116 in 2019 versus Houston.

Why It Matters

  • Opening-possession touchdowns matter because they establish game rhythm immediately, and Green Bay built a comparable script in consecutive weeks.
  • The history tied to opening-drive yardage highlights sustained early-game efficiency, not just late-game results.
  • The drive shows how the Packers can keep a series alive even when early runs stall, leaning on completions and third-down execution.
  • Credit for the streak goes beyond a single play, with multiple third-down conversions and a final score drive that did not require a reset.

Sources

Key Facts

  • The Packers’ opening possession against Dallas ended in a 90-plus-yard touchdown drive, qualifying as a rare league feat spanning consecutive games.
  • The Elias Sports Bureau noted the Packers became only the second team since 1978 to record opening-possession TD drives of 90-plus yards in consecutive games.
  • Against Dallas, Green Bay’s opening TD drive covered 90 yards on 14 plays and consumed 6:30 of the first quarter.
  • The drive featured third-down conversions, including a 27-yard completion from Jordan Love to Christian Watson to reach midfield.
  • Savion Williams made his season debut and caught passes that helped sustain the early drive.
  • Love threw for 109 yards on the opening drive, the most by any NFL quarterback on an opening drive since 2019.