Packers sack Lions, put huge dent in Detroit playoff hopes

DETROIT — Dan Campbell has righted a lot of wrongs in Detroit Lions history.

But outside of last year's high-wire act that led to a victory over the Bears, his team still hasn't figured out how to win consistently on Thanksgiving Day.

Despite missing four starters after All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown left with an injury, the Lions' offense did its part. But Detroit's defense did not, resulting in a 31-24 win for the Green Bay Packers that widens the gap between Detroit (7-5) and the two teams ahead of it in the NFC North.

The Lions are now 1-4 on Thanksgiving Day under Campbell since 2021 and have been swept in the season series by Green Bay for the first time in the Campbell era. Detroit is 1 1/2 games behind Chicago (8-3) for first place in the NFC North and a game behind San Francisco for the seventh and final NFC playoff spot.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love passed for 234 yards and four touchdowns while completing 18 of his 30 attempts, as Dontayvion Wicks caught five passes for 94 yards and a touchdown and Christian Watson added 80 yards on three catches for Green Bay (8-3-1).

After an extremely shaky performance by the Lions through two series, Lions quarterback Jared Goff rebounded to finish 20 for 26 for 256 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Green Bay bottled up Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, holding him to 68 rushing yards on 20 carries. Jameson Williams caught seven passes for 144 yards and a 22-yard touchdown.

The Packers took a 3-point lead on the opening drive. After converting on third-and-short twice — including one play during which the Lions' defense only had 10 players on the field — the Lions got off the field when Alim McNeill forced Love to throw the ball away on third down and settle for a 45-yard field goal off the foot of Brandon McManus.

St. Brown left the game with 6:10 left in the first quarter because of an ankle injury.

The Packers added to their lead with a controversial touchdown at 14:19 in the second quarter. After Lions safety Brian Branch made a terrific play to break up a third-down throw to Christian Watson in the end zone, he inexplicably stopped running with Wicks on a fourth-down run to the end zone, allowing Wicks to make the play. Lions safety Thomas Harper attempted to jar the ball loose by hitting Wicks, causing it to look like Wicks didn't get two feet down after making the catch, but officials confirmed the touchdown after review.

The Lions got off the mat with 7:54 to go in the second quarter. Tom Kennedy, up from the practice squad, made a massive catch on third-and-long to get Detroit into the red zone for the first time all game. Three plays later, David Montgomery ran the ball in from the Wildcat formation, cutting Detroit's deficit to 10-7.

The Packers got another break late in the second quarter. Before a critical fourth-and-1 from Detroit's 2-yard line, Packers offensive lineman Anthony Belton was flagged for a false start. After officials convened, they deemed that Packers coach Matt LaFleur got a timeout before the penalty occurred — but that's not what the replay showed. As Belton began moving early, LaFleur was still covering his face with his call sheet.

The Packers lined it again on fourth-and-1 and converted with a 2-yard passing touchdown to Romeo Doubs, who caught the ball in the flat for the score to go up, 17-7, with 2:12 left in the half.

Detroit responded in a hurry to make it a one-score game before the third quarter. Williams found the end zone after spinning out of a would-be tackle-for-loss on third-and-3, then accelerated upfield for a 22-yard touchdown that made it 17-14, Packers lead, going into halftime.

For all the momentum Detroit built before halftime, it disappeared in a hurry. The Lions were stuffed on fourth-and-3 at the Green Bay 49-yard line on the opening drive of the second half, resulting in a turnover on downs. Two plays later, Love hit Watson, who had gotten open on a go route against Lions cornerback Amik Robertson, for a 51-yard touchdown to give the Packers a 24-14 lead with 10:31 left in the third quarter.

But the Lions just won't go away, showing a little bit of the old-school resiliency that they showed last week against the Giants. Detroit marched down the field in five plays, culminating with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Isaac TeSlaa, his first catch since Nov. 9, to cut the deficit to 24-21 at 7:25 in the third.

Again, the Packers added to their lead after a fortunate bounce in the red zone. D.J. Reed and Harper forced a fumble by Doubs inside the 5-yard line, but it bounced right into the hands of Packers offensive lineman Rasheed Walker. Three plays later, Green Bay went up 31-21 on a 1-yard touchdown pass in the flat to Wicks.

With 10:55 left in the game, the Lions made their most ambitious gamble. Goff rolled to his right on fourth-and-3 at the Green Bay 21 and found an open Williams, but the ball was a bit behind the receiver and hit his hands before dropping to the turf for an incompletion and a turnover on downs. Detroit's defense finally got the stop they needed on the ensuing possession, but they were still down 10.

Jake Bates concluded a lackadaisical Lions drive that took 6:03 off the clock by bringing Detroit within a score, 31-24, on a 31-yard field goal with 2:59 remaining.