The Detroit Lions got two touchdowns from an unlikely source and withstood a consistent Green Bay Packers rushing attack to push their league-leading win streak to 11 games en route to a 34-31 win over their NFC North rival Green Bay Packers in a nationally televised Thursday night game in Detroit.
It was another game-winning field goal from Lions kicker Jake Bates as time expired that iced the game for the Lions, who now own the best record in the NFL. Bates also kicked the game-winning field goal last month in a game against the Houston Texans.
See Photos of Lions Thrilling 34-31 Win Over Green Bay
The last time the Lions and Packers met was just over a month ago at the cold, wet Lambeau Field in Wisconsin. Thursday night’s conditions for their second and final regular season matchup were much different inside the temperature-controlled confines of Ford Field in Detroit.
Tim Patrick, in his first season with the Lions, caught his first touchdown of the season and had his first two-touchdown game in four years, with both catches coming on key plays in the redzone. The Lions withstood Packers running back Josh Jacobs and his three-touchdown game to win on the final play of the game.
The Lions offense was clicking out the gate, though, as the first drive saw Goff connecting early with star receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown, then again with Jameson Williams on a 28-yard drag route across the middle of the field.
The early passing success set up a David Montgomery touchdown where he walked untouched into the endzone from three yards out. The drive resulted in the only first-quarter points scored, and it capped off an 11-play, 70-yard touchdown march that gave the Lions a 7-0 lead just five minutes into the game. It was Montgomery’s 12th rushing touchdown this season – just one less than his career high of 13 from last season.
The defense came out equally fired up, as newcomer Za’Darius Smith sacked Packers quarterback Jordan Love on the opening play of Green Bay’s first offensive series. A defensive pass interference call on Lions’ safety Brian Branch kept the Packers’ offense on the field, but not long, as the Lions defense forced a punt just three plays later.
The teams traded stalled possessions, with neither team picking up a first down on their second series. But the Lions defense stepped up, as starting cornerback Carlton Davis III forced a fumble after a long catch-and-run from Packers wideout Christian Watson. The recovery by Lions linebacker David Long gave them the ball in Packers’ territory and the team was able to convert the turnover into a field goal to push the lead to 10-0 two minutes into the second quarter.
With the turnover, Davis III became the first Lions cornerback in nearly 20 years to have produced a season with at least two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble. Davis III almost became the hero on the next drive, intercepting a Love pass in the endzone. However, prior to the pass, rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold was called for pass interference.
Green Bay got the ball at the one yard line and, as is typical in rivalry games, they punched back. Former All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs got a one-yard touchdown run and went over 1,000 yards rushing on the season.
On the Lions final possession of the first half, Goff and the Lions responded to GB’s score with a 12-play, 70-yard drive that resulted in a Goff-to-Gibbs two-yard touchdown pass on fourth down and goal to go. Gibbs, who had a quiet first half rushing, ran and route out of the backfield that left his defender sliding. The point after put the Lions up 17-7 heading into intermission.
Watson redeemed himself from his first-half fumble on GB’s opening drive of the second half, catching a 59-yard bomb over Davis III from Love to get the Packers into scoring position. Love would connect with tight end Tucker Craft three plays later for a 12-yard touchdown, bringing the Pack to within three points at 17-14.
On the very next possession, Goff threw his first interception since Nov. 10 when he threw five of them in a narrow win over the Houston Texans. The Packers didn’t waste the redzone opportunity, as Jacobs punched in a six-yard run to give GB its first lead at 21-17. It took the visitors just 3:45 into the second half to erase the Lions’ 10-point first-half lead.
The back-and-forth battle continued, though. Goff responded from his interception by marching the Lions 70 yards down the field and throwing a two-yard dart to wide receiver Tim Patrick on a fourth-and-two to put the Lions back on top 24-21. The drive also helped put a little pep into the Lions run game. Gibbs peeled off his longest run of the game, a 20-yard scamper, that put Detroit in scoring position.
The drive helped energize the defense and the homefield crowd, as the Lions defense returned back to its first-half success by forcing GB into a three-and-out. Before taking the field for their next possession, Ford Field fans erupted in chants of “JARED GOFF!” The air was sucked out of the building, though, when Detroit failed to convert on a fourth-and-one from their own 30 yard line. The failed conversion led to Jacobs punching in his third touchdown of the game – his second three-rushing-touchdown game in the past three games – and a 28-24 Green Bay lead to open the fourth quarter.
But as back-and-forth battles go, the Lions answered back with a touchdown of their own, this time another one-yard pass from Goff to Patrick. It marked the first time in almost four years that Patrick has had a two-touchdown game, dating back to Dec. 6, 2020, and it put the Lions back on top, 31-28, halfway through the fourth quarter.
The Lions managed to hold a charging Packers’ offense to just a field goal on the next drive, as they evened the score on a 32-yard kick to make it 31-31 as the Lions took over with 3:38 remaining in the game. The Lions exerted their will on the final drive, pressing forward to move into field goal range, and allowing Bates to cash in from 35 yards out to get the 34-31 win.