TNF Recap: Lions, as usual, survive Packers on their terms
The team that's too gritty to die continues to chug along with just one loss
Packers 31 at Lions 34
The Packers trailed 17-7 at halftime. Not only had the passing game been tough to watch as Jordan Love had been blitzed to a pulp, but the numbers were woeful: 3-of-7 for 31 yards at halftime. And the one downfield catch Love completed ended with Christian Watson getting the ball knocked out by Carlton Davis to cause a fumble that the Lions recovered.
But the Packers run defense, to their credit, had not broken. They allowed a touchdown to David Montgomery on the opening drive, but only 2.9 yards per carry. Detroit’s most effective weapon was the screen game, as both Sam LaPorta and the backs had plenty of catches in the first half.
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Green Bay countered at the start of the second half with a 59-yard throw to Christian Watson setting up their run game to score. Then the first of two massive momentum shifts in the second half hit: Jared Goff’s interception
Keisean Nixon sits in a soft zone and the ball suddenly appears on him, perhaps closer than even he thought it would be. Packers get the ball at the Detroit 16.
The second was Dan Campbell’s decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 at Detroit’s own 30. Jahmyr Gibbs did not get there:
Quay Walker actually find a way around the gigantic wall that is Penei Sewell at just the right angle to prevent this from being a first down. Packers take over at the Detroit 30. It was — foreshadowing — the only fourth-down stop Green Bay would get on five Lions attempts.
Those two short-field touchdowns became what the Packers needed to stay in this game. But they couldn’t go 3-for-4, with Jordan Love’s heroic blitz effort on their final drive wasted as they stalled out to force a tying field goal.
Love was making both stupid throws (complimentary) and stupid throws (derogatory) in this one — he remains the most explosive quarterback I’ve watched this year. On any given play he can pull out a pass that makes him look like Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes, and on any given play he can also overthrow a wide-open end zone target. It’s why I can’t quit the Packers as a legitimate contender, and also why the Packers are kinda not a legitimate contender.
Third-and-7 from the Green Bay 31, 2:01 left, and the Lions … the Lions got another screen off to Gibbs for what eventually would give them the distance to drain the clock and kick the game-winning field goal. The Packers gave away one of their timeouts to avoid a delay of game. But … things got a little interesting with a holding call on the ensuing first down. Jared Goff stepped up on second-and-17 and delivered this one with a defender in his chest:
That set up a third-and-short, and that play was stuff to set up a fourth-and-short, and then…
The Lions, the fearless boys that they are, got too aggressive EVEN for analytics. They went for it on a fourth-and-1 to prevent the Packers from getting another shot with about 35 seconds left on the clock. It is rare that you see an aggressive fourth-down go that even analytics wants no part of in my experience. But here we are: Dan Campbell didn’t want to see what kind of throw Jordan Love had waiting for him and I can’t say I blame him.
This time, of course, they converted their fourth-down go, and made sure the Packers wouldn’t touch the ball again.
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This result keeps the status quo in the NFC. The Lions are well-positioned to be the No. 1 seed, the Packers remain a game ahead of Washington for the No. 6 seed and seem like they’ll be sent to the NFC West or NFC South winner in the first round, which I’m sure is just fine with them.
We’ve had a really good run of Thursday Night games recently. I pointed this out on Bluesky last night and people were pointing to the idea of the divisional games helping that … next week we get 49ers-Rams in what may be Last Stand hours for the 49ers.
