"Never apologize for winning in this league," head coach Matt LaFleur told his players. He's right.
The Green Bay Packers found a way to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals. It wasn't perfect, but winning ugly is just fine. It's far better than suffering a 10-point collapse or going through the nothingness of a tie.
While LaFleur's team has plenty of work to do, they picked up their third win of the season, enough to take them back into the NFC North driver's seat. And upon reflection, there were far more winners than losers for the Packers.
Biggest winners and losers for Packers in Week 6 win vs. Bengals
Winner: Lucas Havrisik
LaFleur handed kicker Lucas Havrisik the only gameball after the win, and deservedly so. Havrisik stepped in on short notice to cover for the injured Brandon McManus, and despite plenty of skepticism — including from yours truly — he delivered a perfect performance.
Havrisik converted two field goals, including a 43-yarder, and all three extra-point tries, even when booting into the swirling winds. In what turned out to be a nine-point game, the Packers truly needed him.
Speaking to reporters postgame, Havrisik said he has recently looked for a part-time job. He can put that on hold. This performance will undoubtedly earn him more opportunities in the NFL.
Winner: Matthew Golden
The breakout is here.
LaFleur frustratingly said postgame that while "everybody wants us to force-feed guys the ball," he has no plans to change his approach. But Golden is becoming undeniable, and he is quickly gaining Jordan Love's trust.
The rookie lit up the Bengals defense with a team-high 86 receiving yards to go with his 16 rushing yards. He is getting better every week, and regardless of what LaFleur says, Golden's targets must increase moving forward.
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Winner: Jordan Love
Jordan Love threw away at least a field-goal opportunity on the opening drive with a way-too-risky pass that tipped in the air and got what it deserved, only his second interception of the season.
But Love responded emphatically, and while the box score won't display MVP numbers, he looked in complete control of this contest. Love only had seven incompletions, throwing for 259 yards, one touchdown, and one pick for a 101.3 rating. That included dropping an absolute beauty into a bucket for Golden on a 35-yard gain.
The biggest story came on the ground. Love took off seven times for 26 yards — again, not box-office numbers — but vital in moving the chains and leading this offense to victory.
Love had one rookie error on his interception, but he's ironing those careless moments out of his game. He was in command throughout the contest and continued his impressive start to 2025.
Winner: Josh Jacobs
Josh Jacobs is so talented that it's no longer surprising when he bulldozes through defenders. It's become notable when Jacobs doesn't score a touchdown — including the playoffs, he's now found paydirt in 12 of his past 13 games. Simply stunning.
The All-Pro turned 18 carries into 93 yards and two scores while catching five passes for 57 yards. Cincinnati had no answer.
Jacobs described his second touchdown as "one of the best blocked plays" he's ever had. If the Packers can actually provide proper run-blocking instead of forcing him to break tackles behind the line of scrimmage, Jacobs might set records.
Winner: Jordan Morgan
At long last, it appears Jordan Morgan has broken into the Packers' starting five. He started at right guard ahead of Sean Rhyan, and despite some initial rotation, Rhyan soon remained on the bench.
It's Morgan's job now, it seems, a notable change along the offensive line. And he put in arguably his best performance of the season. Per PFF, Morgan allowed just one hurry to earn a team-best pass-blocking grade of 81.3.
He also produced a key block on former teammate T.J. Slaton, paving the way for Josh Jacobs' opening touchdown.
Loser: Sean Rhyan
The reverse of that is Rhyan's position, who has finally lost his grip on the right guard job. While the former third-round pick held up OK when he was out there, Morgan outsnapped him 49 to 12, a seismic shift on the depth chart.
Loser: Nate Hobbs
It's still early days, but the Nate Hobbs experiment is reaching concerning levels. The Packers signed Hobbs in the opening week of free agency to become a difference-maker in the secondary. He is — just for the wrong reasons.
Joe Flacco picked on Hobbs all day. By PFF's initial count, the veteran allowed five catches on six targets for 44 yards, a passer rating of 97.2. Hobbs has one pass defense in four games and is offering little resistance to opposing quarterbacks.