Lions vs. Packers recap: Detroit wins 3rd in a row at Lambeau, move to 7-1

The Detroit Lions proved to be the better and cleaner football team against the Green Bay Packers. Recap and highlights here.

The Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers faced off Sunday afternoon in a battle for first place in the NFC North, but it was mostly just one team who showed up to the match.

The Lions played solid, fundamental football. The Packers were plagued with penalties, drops, and fumbles galore. And after a critical mistake from Jordan Love near the end of the half—a pick-six from Kerby Joseph—the Lions took a healthy lead and never looked back.

In the end, the Lions won by a score of 24-14. They’re 7-1 on the season, while the Packers drop to 6-3. Detroit has now won their last three games at Lambeau Field.

Here’s how the entire game played out.

First quarter

The Packers won the toss and opted to receive. Green Bay attacked Detroit’s defense on the ground, with Josh Jacobs picking up 22 yards on his first two carries. They got into a fourth-and-inches situation on the Lions’ side of the field, then easily converted with a direct snap to Tucker Kraft to keep the drive alive. A 19-yard pass to Christian Watson moved Green Bay into field goal range. The drive ended when Jordan Love was unable to connect with Jacobs with pressure in his face, forcing Green Bay to settle for a field goal. 3-0 Packers.

Detroit responded with a very similar strategy. David Montgomery took his first three carries for 23 yards into Packers’ territory. Then, Jared Goff hit Sam LaPorta for 19 yards to get into field goal range. A draw play to Montgomery on third-and-4 set Detroit up first-and-goal at the 8-yard line. However, Detroit opted to run three straight times and only managed to get to the 5-yard line.

Second quarter

Facing a fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line, the Lions opted to go for it. An encroachment penalty cut the yardage in half, and Goff connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown for the 3-yard touchdown catch and an early 7-3 Lions lead.

The Packers continued to find success on the ground with a 37-yard run from Jacobs to kick off the drive.

However, a false start made a third-and-3 a third-and-8, and Love’s deep shot into double coverage fell incomplete. A failed attempt to get the Lions to jump offsides on fourth down resulted in a delay of game and punt.

Detroit would start the ensuing drive at their own 9-yard line. They’d quickly pick up 12 with a pass to Jahmyr Gibbs. On the next set of downs, the Lions faced a third-and-4, and Goff was sacked, leading to their first punt of the day.

A good punt and a holding penalty pushed the Packers back inside their own 20-yard line to start the next drive. Jacobs continued to punish the Lions in both the receiving and rushing game. He picked up 24 total scrimmage yards to move the Packers to midfield. The Lions had the Packers on the ropes—in a second-and-20—but Brian Branch got an unnecessary roughness call—hitting a defenseless receiver—to give Green Bay new life instead of facing a third-and-20. To make matters worse, Branch was ejected for the hit and got hit with another penalty after that.

A drop pass from the Packers ended the drive, and Packers kicker Brandon McManus pushed a 46-yard field goal wide left. No harm done for the Lions.

With about five minutes left, the Lions attempted to add to their lead. Goff started the drive with a 26-yard strike to St. Brown. Then, Allen Robinson picked up a key 2-yard catch on third-and-2 to help keep the drive alive. The Lions worked slowly to bleed clock, but they got a little conservative in a goal-to-go situation, setting up a third-and-goal from the 10. Goff just spiked the ball into the turf when pressure was coming, setting up a chip-shot field goal with 58 seconds left: 10-3 Lions.

The Packers would try to add to the lead, but Jordan Love made a critical mistake instead. With pressure coming from Alex Anzalone, Love threw it right to Kerby Joseph, who returned it for six. 17-3 Lions.

Green Bay had 32 seconds to try again to get points, with one timeout in their pocket, but they ran out of time.

Third quarter

Detroit started with the ball hoping to add to their two-score lead. Detroit moved to midfield, and a defensive holding penalty helped convert a third down and move into Packers territory. Gibbs nearly hit a homerun with an 18-yard gain, but was just tripped up. Then, on fourth-and-1 from the red zone, a run to Gibbs hit for a 15-yard touchdown and a 24-3 Lions lead.

The two teams traded three-and-outs from there, and while the Lions were backed up in their own zone, a 60-yard punt from Jack Fox moved Green Bay to their own 25-yard line.

But from there the Packers finally got back on the scoreboard. Love hit Jayden Reed 32 yards down into Lions territory. Then Reed converted a third-and-1 with a 3-yard catch. A pair of botched snaps doomed Green Bay’s drive, though, and they had to settle for a field goal just before the end of the third quarter. 24-6 Lions.

Fourth quarter

Detroit got a good kick return to the 40-yard line thanks to Isaiah Williams, but their run game couldn’t get going. They quickly went three-and-out, giving the Packers an opportunity to get back into the game.

Green Bay faced fourth-and-5 early in the next drive, and Reed came down with a contested 28-yard catch to keep their hopes alive.

The Packers had to convert another fourth down, but this time they didn’t. A fourth-and-1 in the red zone was stuffed by the defense, and the Lions took over at their own 9-yard line with 10 minutes remaining in the game.

Note: During the drive, Lions linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin suffered a shoulder injury and was listed as questionable to return. He returned shortly thereafter.

Detroit’s offense successfully bled some clock thanks to a third-down conversion to St. Brown. But a reverse trick play lost 11 yards for Detroit, and that was a quick end to their drive.

Green Bay took over at their own 45-yard line wit 6:22 left. The Lions forced the Packers into a fourth-and-4, but a taunting penalty from Amik Robertson kept the drive alive. A few plays later, Emanuel Wilson punched it in from two yards out to make it 24-14 with 3:49 left. (Packers converted a two-point play).

With so little time left, the Packers attempted an onside kick, but it went out of bounds, and the Lions took over. From there, David Montgomery put the game away with a pair of first downs.