The Detroit Lions are seeking their first 7-1 start since the 1956 season. It won’t be easy to get there, though, as the Lions have a 6-2 Green Bay Packers team standing in front of them this weke. The Packers have won four games straight, although three of those games were tight contests won by a single score.
Detroit has had the advantage in this matchup as of late. The Lions have won four of the last five matchups against the Packers, but Green Bay decisively won the last game between the two teams—a 37-30 win on Thanksgiving.
Since that Thanksgiving game, both teams have been on a roll. The Packers went on a roll to end the 2023 season to not only make the playoffs, but nearly make the NFC Championship game. The Lions did make the conference championship game, and have only dropped a single contest since that fateful day in San Francisco.
This year, the Packers have been riding a much-improved defense with their typical efficient offense. The Lions are in a very similar boat. Their offense is hitting an incredible stride right now, averaging 43.0 points in their last four contests. Their defense is beat-up with injuries, but they’re hanging in there thanks to an opportunistic defense that continually is forcing turnovers.
On a rainy day in Lambeau, who will survive?
This post will provide live updates from Green Bay as the game proceeds. We’ll have drive-by-drive analysis, highlights and score updates as they come in. Simply refresh the page starting at 4:25 p.m. ET and watch the updates come in.
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 with Jordan Love couldn’t 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 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.