Lions Shock Packers, Keep Them Out of Playoffs
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers were one win from running the table. Instead, they ran themselves off a cliff.
The Detroit Lions, with nothing to play for other than pride and respect, came into Lambeau Field and stunned the Packers 20-16 on Sunday night. Needing one big victory to get to the playoffs, the Packers instead laid one colossal egg.
“Extremely disappointed,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “It’s going to be a big offseason for us, obviously, to make sure we all improve. We’ve all got to look inward because I know the expectations here are very high, and they should be.”
Green Bay, a perennial championship contender, faces a long and cold offseason. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the four-time MVP and Super Bowl champion in 2010, once again couldn’t deliver in the clutch. As the Lions celebrated with their fans, Rodgers trudged to the locker room alongside Randall Cobb, no doubt wondering if this would be his final time in the stadium at which he made so much magic but failed to deliver in too many big moments.
“For sure,” Rodgers said this week, “just because you don’t know what the future holds, but when I think about that, it’s nothing but gratitude. Not remorse or sadness, just gratitude for the time that I’ve been here, the amazing memories that I’ve had on this field. Been a lot of great moments, but still undecided. We’re all undecided about the future and just going to enjoy Sunday night and hopefully have some more to play for.”
As the Packers took off their pads and cleats for the last time this season, the Lions’ fans chanted “Let’s go Lions,” the thrill of victory – and the thrill of delivering the agony of defeat to a rival – providing all the warmth needed in the 22-degree chill.
Trailing 20-16 on Green Bay’s final possession, Rodgers threw a horrid pass into the flat to AJ Dillon on second-and-10 and an interception to rookie safety Kerby Joseph on a deep shot to Christian Watson on third down. The Lions ran out the final 3:27. On second-and-20, Jared Goff threw a short pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who lateraled to D’Andre Swift for a gain of 17. That made it third-and-3; on fourth-and-1, Goff threw to D.J. Chark for the clinching first down.
So, now what?
Does Rodgers want to return? Do the Packers even want him back? Will Joe Barry be asked back?
When will the Packers be championship contenders again?
LaFleur said they’re going to look at “every facet of our program” with a “fine-toothed comb” this offseason. Success, such as three consecutive 13-win seasons, can cover up certain things. “Everything has pretty much been exposed,” he said.
The Packers were flirting with disaster all night and got what they deserved. They stubbed their toe in the red zone. They were inept on third down. The dropped passes. They fumbled. They were guilty of the stupidest of penalties.
By playing with fire, the Packers got burned. With Green Bay up 9-6, Goff faked a handoff, booted a bit to his left and fired deep to the right to Kalif Raymond, who beat Rudy Ford for a gain of 43 to the 1. On the next play, Williams tied Hall of Famer Barry Sanders’ franchise record with his 16th rushing touchdown of the season to give the Lions a 13-9 lead.
The Packers answered quickly. Needing a spark, Rodgers found it on a deep ball to Watson, with the rookie making an excellent catch despite pass interference for a gain of 45. One play later, Rodgers fired a touchdown pass to Allen Lazard to make it 16-13.
Detroit took a 20-16 lead with 5:49 remaining, Williams’ 1-yard touchdown run capping a 75-yard scoring drive. Early, Jared Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for 3 yards on fourth-and-2. D’Andre Swift ran for 11, then caught a screen for 2 in which he was whacked in the head by Jarran Reed’s forearm. As medical personnel examined Swift, linebacker Quay Walker shoved a member of the Detroit staff for a penalty and second ejection of the year.
That set the stage for Rodgers to be the hero. Instead, he was a zero.
The Packers led 9-6 at halftime, with Crosby kicking field goals of 22, 49 and 48 yards.
Green Bay controlled most of the action but couldn’t make the key plays to take control. It was 1-of-6 on third down, turned it over on Aaron Jones’ fumble and allowed two sacks.
Game Ball
Lions coach Dan Campbell had his team playing like a trip to the Super Bowl was on the line, never mind that his team was eliminated before kickoff. What a ballsy call on second-and-20 with the pass and lateral and the fourth-and-1 pass to clinch the game. With Campbell at coach and the sixth overall pick from the Matthew Stafford trade, one of these teams is on the rise and it's not Green Bay.
Questionable Call
What was Quay Walker thinking? For the second time this year, he was ejected for pushing someone not directly involved in the game. At Buffalo, it was a practice squad tight end; against Detroit, it appeared to be one of the Lions’ trainers. You get what you deserve, and the Packers deserved to lose with Walker’s stupid penalty and Rasul Douglas’ slap to the head of a Lions blocker before a field goal.
Key Stat
The Packers had won four consecutive games on the strength of 12 takeaways. The Lions entered the game with a league-low 15 giveaways. With Aaron Jones’ fumble and Aaron Rodgers’ interception, the Packers lost the turnover battle 2-0.
Key Moment
Late in the first half, the Packers were on the move. After AJ Dillon converted a fourth-and-1, Aaron Rodgers fired a receiver screen to running back Aaron Jones, who got in the open field but lost the ball when he was hit from behind by defensive lineman John Cominsky. Safety Will Harris recovered. It wound up being at least a six-point swing as Detroit drove down the field to a field goal as the first half expired. Jones is an electric player but that was his career-worst fifth fumble.
What’s Next
After three consecutive trips to the playoffs, the offseason is here much earlier than anyone expected. Free agency starts on March 15 and the NFL Draft will commence on April 27.
