Dean Michaels
Showing the form that made him MVP last season, Aaron Rodgers tied a team record with six touchdown passes as the Green Bay Packers dealt the Houston Texans their first loss via a 42-24 trouncing Sunday at Reliant Stadium.
Rodgers completed 24 of 37 passes for 338 yards, issuing touchdown passes Jordy Nelson thrice, two to James Jones and one to Tom Crabtree as the Packers improved to 3-3. The Texans slipped to 5-1 with the loss.
"Aaron Rodgers was spectacular," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said of his quarterback, who tied a team record with six touchdown passes set by Matt Flynn in their last regular season game.
"We went exclusively no huddle from the start of the game. We wanted to press their defense. Aaron kept us in clean looks," McCarthy added.
Nelson caught Rodgers' touchdown passes from 41, 21 and one yard to finish with 121 yards on career-high nine carries, Randall Cobb set a career high with 102 receiving yards and Jones enjoyed his third straight two-touchdown game.
"Offensively we came out fast like we wanted to," said Jones. "We put some pressure on them, put some points up early."
The defense also did its part, limiting the Texans' vaunted ground game to 90 yards on 28 carries, with Arian Foster managing just 29 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns. The defense also added six sacks and three interceptions off Texans quarterback Matt Schaub and backup TJ Yates.
Schaub finished 20-for-33 with 232 yards without a touchdown and two interceptions
Rodgers opened scoring with a 41-yard bomb to Nelson down the right sideline and added another via a six-yard scoring pass to Jones late in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead.
Houston trimmed the deficit to 14-7 when Foster capped a nine-play, 80-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run. The Packers, however, roared right back with a seven-play, 78-yard touchdown drive, which Rodgers capped with a 21-yard bullet to Nelson.
Rodgers then unleashed three more touchdown passes in the second half while Foster was the only bright spot for the Texans, scoring a one-yard scoring run in the third period.
The Packers' defense also did not let up in the second half as interceptions by Sam Shields and Casey Hayward in the fourth quarter kept the Texans at bay.
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Rodgers Six Scoring Strikes Help Packers Hand Texans First Loss - NFL 2012 Week 6