Lions-Packers recap: Detroit moves to .500 with decisive win at Green Bay

The Detroit Lions picked up a big road division win and moved to .500 by defeating the Green Bay Packers 30-17. It was just the Lions’ second win in Green Bay since 1991.

The Packers won the toss and boldly asked for the ball first. Brett Hundley got off to a good start, but a Tahir Whitehead sack stalled the drive in the red zone. Green Bay couldn’t cash in after a short field goal attempt was blocked by A’Shawn Robinson.

The Lions responded quickly. Aided by a bad personal foul penalty on the Packers, Matthew Stafford drove the Lions downfield in a hurry, capping off a 71-yard drive with this beautiful pass to Marvin Jones Jr.:

After a nice three-and-out stop by the Lions’ defense, Stafford put the Lions in a spot to score again. However, after a couple negative plays, the Lions’ drive stalled and Matt Prater’s 55-yard field goal attempt doinked off the crossbar, falling just short.

The Lions held the Packers to another three-and-out, and this time the Lions’ offense cashed in. On their longest drive of the season, Stafford picked apart the Green Bay defense on a 13-play, 91 yard touchdown drive. Ameer Abdullah finally got the red zone carry we’ve been begging for and drove it in from four yards out.

The Packers had one more possession to draw closer before the end of the half. Brett Hundley managed to drive down into Lions territory, but stalled just outside the red zone. A hurried Packers field goal unit managed to get on field quick enough to convert a 35-yard field goal just as time expired.

The Lions got the ball in the second half and picked up where they left off. Though they didn’t get in the end zone, an 11-play drive ended with a 44-yard field goal to push Detroit’s lead to 17-3.

Detroit’s defense held up strong in the third quarter, allowing just one Green Bay first down. The Lions offense even gifted the Packers a free possession after a mysterious Ameer Abdullah fumble, but Green Bay couldn’t do anything with it.

Just as it looked like the Lions were going to put away the game for good, their red zone problems popped up again. With three chances to score from inside the Packers 2-yard line, Detroit came up short and settled for the field goal to go up three possessions with just over 12 minutes left in the game.

The Packers responded with a quick touchdown drive and it appeared the comeback was on. But thanks in part to a well-timed, 63-yard screen play to Theo Riddick, the Lions quickly moved the score to 27-10 with an 11-yard touchdown to Marvin Jones.

That turned out to be all the offense the Lions needed, as Detroit cruised the rest of the way. A late Lions field goal and a last-second Green Bay touchdown made the final score 30-17.

Detroit now sits at 4-4, a full two games behind the Vikings, but closing in. The Lions are currently 2-0 in the division, and if they keep up that record in the NFC North, they could very well be competing for the division crown in December.