CINCINNATI -- A game full of weirdness came down to the final flub, one that bounced right into Terence Newman's arms.
The cornerback returned a fumble 58 yards for a touchdown with 3:47 left Sunday, rallying the Cincinnati Bengals to a 34-30 victory over Green Bay in a game of wild momentum swings set up by nonstop turnovers.
"We learned some valuable lessons and survived one today that you don't survive very often," coach Marvin Lewis said.
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The lesson? Just hold onto the ball.
Each team gave it away four times. Each team returned a fumble for a touchdown -- M.D. Jennings ran one back for Green Bay (1-2). The Bengals blew a 14-point lead, and the Packers let a 16-point lead get away in the second half. Green Bay scored 30 consecutive points and lost.
And no, the weather wasn't a factor. Nobody could blame the cool, sunny afternoon for all the oddities.
"There's been a lot of crazy games since I've been here," seventh-year cornerback Leon Hall said. "But that one's up there. Top three."
The Bengals (2-1) finished it off when Michael Johnson batted down Aaron Rodgers' fourth-down pass at Cincinnati's 20-yard line with 1:21 left, ending a subpar showing for the quarterback.
It was the first time in 14 years that a team won after allowing an opponent to score 30 consecutive points in a game.
"We didn't flinch," safety Reggie Nelson said. "You expect a great team like that to score."
The second-half comeback completed an exhilarating week at Paul Brown Stadium for the Bengals, who beat AFC North rival Pittsburgh 20-10 on Monday night with an impressive defensive game.
The defense made the difference again against Rodgers and Green Bay's high-powered but injury-depleted offense. Rodgers was 26 of 43 for 244 yards with a touchdown, but was sacked four times and threw two interceptions.
"It was a frustrating game," Rodgers said. "We spot 'em 14, score 30 in a row and they get 20. I played poorly and the defense played well enough for us to win."
The Packers were running on empty at the end.
Green Bay lost tight end Jermichael Finley to a concussion and ran out of running backs. Eddie Lacy was inactive with a concussion, James Starks hurt a knee in the first half, and rookie Johnathan Franklin ran for 103 yards and a touchdown before limping off at the start of the final series.
The Bengals were missing cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, sidelined with a hamstring injury, but got plenty of pressure on Rodgers and made the deciding turnover.
Trying to put the game away, Green Bay went for it on fourth-and-1 at Cincinnati's 30-yard line. Franklin was stripped of the ball at the line, Nelson picked it up and started to run but fumbled -- of course! -- and Newman scooped it up and went the rest of the way.
"I saw Reggie pick it up and I was trying to get a block and somebody was trying to tackle him," Newman said. "I was screaming: Pitch it! Pitch it! Next thing I know, I saw the ball pop loose. It took a nice little bounce where I could just grab it and run."
When he reached the end zone, Newman jumped into the stands in celebration.
"I know they were a big Lambeau leap team, so I wanted to jump up there," Newman said. "I saw a bunch of fans over there. I don't know what came over me. I'll never do that again."
Cincinnati scored two touchdowns within a 12-second span in the first quarter, aided by a fumble on a kickoff, but wound up having to play catch-up as its offense bogged down.
Andy Dalton was 20 of 28 for 235 yards with two touchdowns, an interception and a fumble that Jennings returned 24 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, sparking Green Bay's comeback.
With Green Bay missing linebacker Clay Matthews to a hamstring injury, Dalton threw touchdown passes of 20 yards to A.J. Green and 11 yards to Marvin Jones, cutting the deficit to 30-27.
Notes: The last time a team won a game after giving up 30 straight points was Sept. 12, 1999, when Dallas rallied to beat Washington 41-35 in overtime after the Redskins scored 32 unanswered points. ... Starks ran for 132 yards in a 38-20 win at Washington last week, ending Green Bay's streak of 45 games without a 100-yard rusher.
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press