The Green Bay Packers shocked both Detroit and those watching at home as they dismantled the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, winning 29-22 in Detroit.
Packers’ quarterback Jordan Love registered another great performance as he completed 22-of-32 for 268 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
In what may have been Love’s best game as a starting quarterback, the success started early. On the very first play of the game, Love dropped back and threw a bomb to a streaking Christian Watson, who came down with a jump ball for a 53-yard gain.
“I almost changed that first play call; I was kind of mulling it over a little bit,” said Packers’ head coach Matt LaFleur. “I texted Jordan (Love) this morning and told him that I was going to change it to something else, and he said he wanted this call. So, I said OK.”
That early bomb to Watson helped to set up a quick scoring strike for Green Bay. Four plays later, Love connected with Jayden Reed for a 10-yard touchdown, giving the Packers a 7-0 lead with 12:16 remaining in the first quarter.
Though Detroit also scored on its first possession, Green Bay’s defense was the story of the game. The Pack scored on its second possession of the game to give the team a touchdown lead — one that was quickly extended when linebacker Rashan Gary hit Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff as he loaded up to throw. The ball was knocked out of Goff’s hand before his arm came forward, resulting in a fumble. The fumble was then picked up by Packers defensive back Jonathan Owens and brought back 25 yards for a touchdown, making the score 20-6 just 13 minutes into the game.
That wasn’t Gary’s only impact on the game, though. The Michigan alum, who tore his ACL on the same field last season, finished the game with five combined tackles, three sacks and one fumble recovery. He also forced two fumbles.
“What we were doing up front was really the difference,” said LaFleur. “(Gary) had a big day, which was huge for him to come back to the place where, obviously, last year it was a pretty emotional experience. He experienced a different kind of emotion today to have three sacks, and I am just really happy for him and our whole locker room.”
After Detroit’s opening drive touchdown, Green Bay held the Lions to five straight drives of forcing a punt or a turnover on downs. That allowed the Packers to enter halftime with a 23-6 lead.
Detroit got the ball rolling again right away in the second half though, as they marched down the field, resulting in a David Montgomery 6-yard touchdown plunge. That touchdown was followed up by a successful two-point attempt from Montgomery. That touchdown marked the fourth time Montgomery has scored against Green Bay this season.
After the Packers were forced to punt, the Lions got the ball back on their own 3-yard line. A few plays later, Detroit was facing a fourth-and-four from its own 23-yard line. Lined up to punt, the Lions snapped the ball to an upback in an effort to catch the Packers sleeping and pick up the first down. That wasn’t the case though, as Green Bay was all over the fake punt and tackled the ball carrier short of the first-down marker.
“We just know how aggressive they are,” said LaFleur, on the fake punt. “We were kind of alerting for that. Great job by Rich (Bisaccia) and Conner Lewis up in the box calling for it. Rich was obviously well prepared and prepared our guys for it. That obviously was a very critical play in the game.”
That translated into a touchdown, as Love connected with Watson on a 16-yard touchdown three plays later.
The Lions made a last-ditch effort late in the game, as Goff connected with receiver Josh Reynolds for a 12-yard touchdown. The ensuing onside kick attempt was recovered by Green Bay though and gave the Packers a 29-22 victory.
The win over Detroit now gives the Packers a 5-6 record, which is good for eighth in the NFC and one spot behind the Seattle Seahawks for the seventh seed. Green Bay will host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night this week, as the team looks to continue to climb into the playoff picture.
For whatever it is worth, according to the New York Times Playoff Predictor, the Packers now hold a 45% chance of making the playoffs.
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