Romeo Doubs wanted to make things right after he served a one-game suspension for what the Green Bay Packers called conduct harmful to the team.
Doubs responded by catching two of Jordan Love’s four touchdown passes in the Packers’ 34-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Doubs’ first two touchdowns of the season included a 10-yard catch to start the second quarter and a 20-yard catch in the third quarter. “I was able to get back to my regular self, you know?” Doubs said.
He was suspended during the Packers’ 24-19 victory over the Los Angeles Rams last week after missing two practices. A regretful Doubs didn’t share details about why he was absent but admitted he needed to communicate better.
“I’m just ready to be a ballplayer, try to move past whatever has happened and just get back to our winning culture like Green Bay has always been,” said Doubs, who had three catches for 49 yards.
It was clear how much Doubs’ return meant to the Packers (4-2) as soon as he scored his first touchdown.
On a third-and-5 pass from the 10, Doubs caught a pass near the right sideline at about the 3-yard line. As Arizona cornerback Garrett Williams tried to grab his jersey, Doubs leaped into the end zone with his arms stretched out.
Doubs was hugged first by wide receiver Christian Watson, who was closest, and then by several other receivers and Love.
“We’re a family,” Love said. “We’re in this thing all together. So just staying together, keeping that brotherhood is definitely very important to us.”
Love also threw touchdown passes of 5 yards to Jayden Reed and 44 yards to Watson while completing 22 of 32 passes for 258 yards, with one interception. His four touchdown passes matched a career high.
“We talked about coming into this game just playing four quarters of complementary football, and I thought that was about as good as we could’ve done it,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said.
“There’s always stuff that we can clean up, but I thought all in all, just the effort from start to finish, the focus from start to finish, was exactly what is a great formula for winning football.”
Arizona (2-4) played poorly and showed an unusual lack of discipline. The Cardinals had been averaging a league-low 3.8 penalties per game, but they were penalized 13 times for 100 yards on Sunday. They also committed three turnovers.
“We play like that, we won’t beat anybody,” Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said. “We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot against a good team.”
Arizona also lost several players to injuries, with the most significant being rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who left with a concussion in the second quarter after his head hit the thigh of Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie during an incomplete pass.
Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes in the first 25½ minutes, helping the Packers take a 24-0 lead. The Cardinals fought back by scoring 13 points in a row—10 points in the last two minutes of the first half and a field goal on their first drive of the second half.
However, the Cardinals wouldn’t score again. “We can’t play in a hole like that versus really good teams,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. “It’s just too hard to overcome.”
Kyler Murray completed 22 of 32 passes for 214 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown to Michael Wilson. Arizona’s James Conner gained only 24 yards on seven carries, as the Packers outrushed the Cardinals 179-89.
After both teams exchanged punts to start the game, the Packers scored three touchdowns and a field goal in their next four possessions to take control.
Even when it seemed the Cardinals were gaining some momentum in the second quarter, a change in events allowed Green Bay to extend its lead.
Offsetting penalties canceled a fumbled punt return by Reed that would have given Arizona the ball at Green Bay’s 23-yard line while trailing 17-0. Arizona had to punt again, and this time, Keisean Nixon returned it 39 yards.
On the next play, Love threw a deep pass to Watson, making it 24-0 with 4½ minutes left in the first half. Watson was back after missing the Rams game due to an ankle injury.
Arizona began its comeback attempt when Murray found Wilson in the end zone with 1:56 left in the first half.
After intended receiver Bo Melton fell on a route, Sean Murphy-Bunting intercepted Love at Green Bay’s 44-yard line. Arizona’s Chad Ryland then made a 38-yard field goal just before halftime.
Ryland added a 40-yarder early in the third quarter, bringing the score to 24-13. He was kicking in place of Matt Prater, who missed his second straight game due to a knee injury.
Green Bay extended its lead on its next series when Love threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Doubs, capping a drive that included two holding penalties on Murphy-Bunting. The Cardinals then lost fumbles on their next three possessions.
