BIZARRE: Raiders edge Packers on 80-yard field in Winnipeg
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Daniel Carson kicked a 33-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining, and the Oakland Raiders earned a bizarre 22-21 preseason victory over the Green Bay Packers Thursday night on a field that was shortened to 80 yards over concerns about player safety.
End zones were marked by bright orange pylons at the 10-yard lines and there were no kickoffs. The field was reconfigured because of concerns about the areas where the goal posts for the CFL’s Winnipeg franchise are usually located.
Before warmups, game officials and staff from both clubs were on the field examining the patches of turf that covered the spots where the goal posts for 110-yard CFL games were removed. The goal posts were moved from spots that would have been inside the NFL end zones.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur decided to sit 33 players, including star quarterback Aaron Rodgers and running back Aaron Jones. Rodgers hasn’t played in the preseason.
Oakland didn’t play starters including quarterback Derek Carr or receiver Antonio Brown.
The Raiders decided to move one of their two home exhibition games to Winnipeg in a move that saved them $500,000 in rent at the Oakland Coliseum. The team is planning to move to Las Vegas in 2020.
It was the first NFL game in Canada since the Buffalo Bills faced the Atlanta Falcons in December 2013 to finish a run of eight games in Toronto.
Tim Boyle, Rodgers’ backup, threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Trevor Davis and a 26-yarder to Jake Kumerow. Tra Carson ran for a touchdown for the Packers, and Green Bay led 21-10 at halftime.
The Raiders’ Nathan Peterman threw two touchdown passes, including a 17-yarder to De’Mornay Pierson-El in the fourth quarter that cut Green Bay’s lead to 21-19. His 2-point conversion attempt was intercepted. Peterman finished 23 of 37 for 210 yards.
UP NEXT
Packers: Conclude their preseason schedule by hosting the Kansas City Chiefs next Thursday night.
Raiders: At Seattle next Thursday night.
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TOP PHOTO: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers warms up for the team’s NFL preseason football game against the Oakland Raiders on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)