Jake Bates kicked a 22-yard field goal as time expired, and the Detroit Lions beat the Green Bay Packers 20-17 on Sunday, October 25, at Ford Field after the Packers missed one field goal and had another blocked.
Detroit improves to 4-2 and has won two straight for the first time this season. Green Bay falls to 4-3, sees a three-game winning streak end and drops to last place in an NFC North where all four teams have winning records. Minnesota leads at 6-0 and Chicago is 5-2.
Green Bay leaves points on the field
The Packers moved the ball well on their first drive. Jordan Love converted a fourth-and-5 with a 27-yard throw to Savion Williams that reached the Detroit 6, but the drive stalled, a delay-of-game penalty moved Green Bay back on fourth down, and rookie kicker Trey Smack missed a 26-yard try wide right.
Detroit needed six plays to go 80 yards the other way, and Jared Goff threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams. Green Bay answered with a 12-play, 74-yard drive that included a 22-yard catch by Tucker Kraft on fourth-and-2, and Love found Kraft again for a 14-yard touchdown with 58 seconds left in the first quarter.
Bates made a 40-yard field goal early in the second quarter for a 10-7 lead. Green Bay then put together a 13-play drive, converting a fourth-and-3 with a 28-yard catch by Christian Watson, but Matt LaFleur passed on a short field goal and Love’s fourth-and-4 throw to Matthew Golden at the Detroit 7 went nowhere. Detroit drove right back to the Green Bay 6 before halftime, only for Jahmyr Gibbs to fumble when Isaiah McDuffie hit him. Brenton Cox Jr. recovered.
Two Detroit turnovers, two Williams touchdowns
The Lions came into the game with only one turnover all season, and they lost a second fumble on the third snap of the second half. Goff lost the ball on a botched exchange at his own 41, and McDuffie recovered. Green Bay needed five plays to score: Love’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Josh Jacobs, playing his first game of the season, put the Packers ahead 14-10.
Detroit responded with a 10-play, 80-yard drive, and Goff hit Williams from 10 yards out for his second touchdown of the day and his second straight game with two scoring catches. The Lions had a chance to stretch the lead late in the third quarter, but Dan Campbell went for it on fourth-and-5 from the Green Bay 6 and Goff’s pass fell incomplete.
Safety Brian Branch, playing for the first time since tearing his Achilles tendon last December, intercepted Love on a third-and-21 deep shot early in the fourth quarter. Green Bay tied the game anyway, 17-17, on a 12-play drive that ended with Smack’s 43-yard field goal with 7:10 left.
Campbell’s gamble and the final drive
With just under five minutes left, Campbell kept his offense on the field on fourth-and-1 from the Detroit 24. Gibbs was stopped behind the line, and the Packers took over in range. “I thought we would get it, No. 1,” Campbell said. “No. 2, I knew we would get the ball back if it didn’t work out.”
He did, because Green Bay could not finish. Love put a third-down pass on Jacobs’ hands in the end zone, but it fell incomplete, and D.J. Wonnum blocked Smack’s 35-yard attempt with 3:25 left. “We had some premier field position and we just didn’t take advantage,” LaFleur said. “We missed two field goals, but we know Trey is capable of making those.”
Detroit then drove 71 yards in 10 plays. Goff hit Sam LaPorta for 18 yards, and a late-hit penalty on Karl Brooks added 15 more. Gibbs ran 15 yards, Brooks was flagged for offside on third-and-5, and the Lions had a first down at the Green Bay 15. From there, Gibbs twice went down in bounds rather than score, so the Packers could not get the ball back, and Bates kicked the winner on the final play. “That was as good as it gets at clock management,” Goff said.
The numbers
- Jared Goff: 22 of 32 for 303 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions; sacked once and lost a fumble.
- Lions receivers: Amon-Ra St. Brown caught nine of 11 targets for 153 yards, with a long of 40. Williams had five catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns.
- Jahmyr Gibbs: 29 carries for 116 yards and a lost fumble, plus five catches for 27 yards.
- Jordan Love: 27 of 45 for 274 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
- Packers skill players: Watson had five catches for 57 yards. Jacobs had five catches for 55 yards and a touchdown and 36 rushing yards on 11 carries. Kraft caught four for 48 and a score, and Golden had six catches on 12 targets for 39 yards.
- Defense: Jack Campbell had 11 tackles for Detroit and Aidan Hutchinson had a sack. McDuffie had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery for Green Bay, and Xavier McKinney had 10 tackles.
Detroit outgained Green Bay 415-324. The Packers converted three of four fourth downs but scored a touchdown on only one of their four red-zone trips. They were also penalized eight times for 81 yards, and penalties gave Detroit five first downs, the Lions’ most in a game since 2020. McKinney was blunt about the officiating afterward: “I’m not a fan of the refs right now.” LaFleur was more careful. “I could tell you what I really think, but it wouldn’t do us any good,” he said.
Before kickoff, Campbell had said this 3-2 team was in better shape than last year’s 5-2 team, and the win backed him up. “Any division game is important,” Branch said. “We need these. They’re mini-playoff games.” Detroit is now 3-0 in the division.
Injuries
Green Bay lost starting center Sean Rhyan to what the team believes is a high ankle sprain and backup Jacob Monk to a quad injury, which forced second-year lineman John Williams into his first career offensive action at center. LaFleur said he does not expect either Rhyan or Monk to play on Thursday. Detroit cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. hurt his ankle, and center Cade Mays made his Lions debut after a wrist injury in training camp.
What comes next
Green Bay hosts the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night, October 29, at 8:15 p.m. ET. Detroit hosts the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, November 1, at 1 p.m. ET.
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