GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers missed a few more throws than he usually does, and even threw an interception with the game still in doubt.
Rodgers wasn’t at his best Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — until the Green Bay star absolutely had to be.
With the Packers clinging to a two-point lead and trying to fend off a late rally, Rodgers threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jordy Nelson with 2:55 left, and the Packers survived a scare from the Buccaneers for a 35-26 victory.
With a 10-0 record going into a Thanksgiving game at Detroit, the Packers remain perfect, even if their quarterback walked away expecting much more from himself. Rodgers passed for 299 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair to Nelson, but wasn’t happy with the way he played.
“I’m just frustrated,” Rodgers said. “I didn’t throw the ball very well. I’m not trying to be ridiculously humble right now, I’m just frustrated. The ball wasn’t coming out the way I wanted it to today.”
Green Bay’s defense also had trouble stopping Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman and tackling running back LeGarrette Blount, giving Packers coach Mike McCarthy plenty of mistakes to point out going into what will be a much-hyped holiday matchup with the Lions at Ford Field.
“I think it was great for us,” McCarthy said. “Adversity is awesome. We’re getting ready to play a big game on national TV on Thanksgiving and adversity (offers) healthy situations to learn from. Especially when you overcome it.”
Freeman threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns for the struggling Buccaneers (4-6), who have lost four straight but didn’t back down against the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Blount had 107 yards rushing for Tampa Bay, including a rambling 54-yard touchdown run in the second quarter where he broke at least six tackles.
Ravens 31, Bengals 24
BALTIMORE — Joe Flacco connected with rookie Torrey Smith for a 38- yard TD pass to give Baltimore (7-3) a 31-14 lead early in the fourth quarter, and the Ravens held on to move into first place in the AFC North.
The Bengals (6-4) got to the Baltimore 7 in the final minute but couldn’t score the tying touchdown.
After Ray Rice was stuffed on a third-and-1 with just over two minutes left, he remained confident.
“I just looked at the clock and I said, ‘Our defense will get it done,’ ” Rice recalled. “That’s the faith I have in our guys.”
49ers 23, Cardinals 7
SAN FRANCISCO — Alex Smith threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns and San Francisco forced five turnovers to win its eighth straight game.
San Francisco (9-1) can clinch the NFC West with a win at Baltimore on Thursday and a loss by Seattle against Washington next weekend.
Falcons 23, Titans 17
ATLANTA — Roddy White had seven receptions for a season-high 147 yards and Jonathan Babineaux led an Atlanta defense that held off Tennessee.
The Falcons (6-4) bounced back from an overtime loss to New Orleans, but it wasn’t easy. Jake Locker took over for injured Matt Hasselbeck late in the third quarter and threw a pair of touchdown passes to Nate Washington to make a game of it for the Titans (5-5).
Dolphins 35, Bills 8
MIAMI — After losing their first seven games, the Dolphins (3-7) have three consecutive victories for the first time since 2008, winning by a combined score of 86-20. Buffalo (5-5) has been outscored 106-26 while losing three in a row.
For the third game in a row, the Dolphins held the opposition without a touchdown.
Lions 49, Panthers 35
DETROIT — Matthew Stafford’s fifth TD pass of the game, a 7-yarder to Brandon Pettigrew with 2:32 left, completed another big rally by Detroit. The Panthers tied it at 35 with 4:59 left on Cam Newton’s 6-yard TD run and two-point conversion pass to Steve Smith.
Newton, who threw one TD pass and ran for two touchdowns, was intercepted four times.
Seahawks 24, Rams 7
ST. LOUIS — Chris Clemons had three of Seattle’s five sacks on Sam Bradford, and he also forced the Rams quarterback to fumble twice, both leading to touchdowns.
Marshawn Lynch scored for the fourth straight week, although he missed on a third straight 100-yard game, finishing with 88 yards. The Rams (2-8) totaled only 185 yards.
The Seahawks (4-6) won on consecutive weeks for the first time, following up on an upset over Baltimore, and have won 12-of-13 in the series. The game featured 19 punts, including a season-high 10 by the Rams’ Donnie Jones.
Browns 14, Jaguars 10
CLEVELAND — Jacksonville rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert’s pass into the end zone on the game’s final play was incomplete, allowing the Browns to escape.
