GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers surpassed Brett Favre to become Green Bay’s all-time leader in touchdown passes and the Packers intercepted Baker Mayfield four times in a 24-22 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.
Rodgers went 24 of 34 for 202 yards with three touchdown passes to increase his career total to 445. Favre threw 508 touchdown passes during his Hall of Fame career, 442 of them with Green Bay.
Until the Browns (7-8) produced a second-half threat, the day belonged to Rodgers, who broke Favre’s record by throwing an 11-yard TD pass to Allen Lazard in the first quarter.
Rodgers spent his first three NFL seasons backing up Favre before taking over in 2008. Favre sent a message to Rodgers in a video that aired on the Lambeau Field scoreboard after the record-breaking touchdown pass.
“Hey, 12, congratulations, man, on passing my touchdown record,” Favre said. “I have one request. Go get us another Super Bowl. Congrats.”
Rodgers later threw two touchdown passes to Davante Adams, who had 10 catches for 114 yards. Adams has caught at least 10 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns in eight career games, the most of anyone in NFL history.
The Packers already have clinched the NFC North title and are seeking the conference’s top playoff seed as they chase their first Super Bowl berth since their 2010 championship season. They have lost in the NFC championship game each of the last two seasons.
Green Bay’s defense sealed this victory by sacking Baker Mayfield five times and forcing him into his first career four-interception performance. All three of the Packers’ touchdowns came after Mayfield interceptions. The Packers (12-3) sealed the victory when Rasul Douglas picked off his second pass of the day with 43 seconds left.
Nick Chubb ran for 126 yards and a touchdown to lead the Browns’ 219-yard rushing effort that kept them in the game. Cleveland was missing at least eight regulars because of complications related to COVID-19.
COLTS 22, CARDINALS 16
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Carson Wentz threw a pair of touchdown passes, Jonathan Taylor ran for 108 yards and the banged-up Colts continued their late-season surge.
The Colts (9-6) have won three straight and six of their past seven. They earned the road win despite missing 2020 All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard — who was put on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier Saturday — and four starting offensive linemen.
Wentz made the game’s biggest play midway through the fourth quarter, when he bounced around in the pocket for a few seconds before hitting Dezmon Patmon for a 14-yard touchdown on a perfectly placed ball in the back of the end zone. That gave the Colts a 22-13 lead.
The Cardinals (10-5) failed to clinch a playoff spot for a third straight week and are 3-5 since starting the season 7-0. Kyler Murray threw for 245 yards and a touchdown while also running for 74 yards.
Arizona’s Matt Prater missed two field goals, including a potential go-ahead try early in the fourth quarter, and an extra point.
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