Jordan Love Throws Three TDs as Packers Beat Stuffing Out of Lions
DETROIT – Look out, NFL, here come the Green Bay Packers. Look out, NFL, maybe they’ve got their next great quarterback.
Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes in the first signature victory of his career as Green Bay stormed into Ford Field and upset the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions 29-22 on Thanksgiving.
“I just want to start out by saying Happy Thanksgiving to everybody. Hopefully we gave the Packers fans a lot to cheer about today,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said.
The Packers, who were crushed by the Lions at home in Week 4, won for the third time in four games to improve to 5-6. A team seemingly destined for a top-five draft pick a month ago, it’s right in the heart of the playoff race. The Lions fell to 8-3 with their seventh consecutive loss in their annual holiday home game.
Love was 23-of-32 passing for 268 yards, three touchdowns and a 125.5 passer rating. Ford Field, filled to capacity by Lions fans, was deafening at times. At first, the fans expected a blowout. Later, they expected a comeback.
They got neither. Love never looked rattled in the type of performance delivered by legit franchise quarterbacks. Rashan Gary had three sacks and two forced fumbles, the first of which was recovered by Jonathan Owens for a touchdown.
“I think that’s kind of the makeup of this team. We don’t flinch,” Love said. “Obviously, just going through the season so far, we’ve had some close losses. The way everybody shows up every week, continues to work, continues to show up on Sunday, Thursday, ready to play, is huge.
“Obviously, when we get into games, we know it’s going to be a fight 60 minutes. We know we’re not going to flinch.”
As good as Love played, three fourth-down plays told the story.
Midway through the third quarter, with Green Bay leading 23-14, the Lions faked a punt on fourth-and-4 from their 23. Two rookies – first-round Lukas Van Ness and undrafted rookie Henry Pearson – snuffed it out. Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin got the ball on the direct snap. Pearson held the edge and Van Ness dropped Reeves-Maybin well short of the marker.
Taking over at Detroit’s 23, Love threw a sensational 16-yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson. The 2-point play failed and the Packers led 29-14.
That was the score at the start of the fourth quarter. With the Lions facing a fourth-and-7 from Green Bay’s 31, Rashan Gary stormed around left tackle Taylor Decker for his third sack of the game. He also forced his second fumble, for good measure.
Once again, the Lions drove into scoring position. On third-and-5 from the Packers’ 10, Owens made a superb play to drop Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown for minus-2 on a receiver screen. That set up fourth-and-7, with Quay Walker’s excellent coverage preventing a touchdown to tight end Sam LaPorta with 6:46 to play.
“The defense balled out,” Love said.
Jonathan Owens celebrates his scoop-and-score.
Photo by Junfu Han/USA Today Sports Images
At that point, Green Bay needed to eat some clock. And it did. On third-and-1 from the 21, Love lined up in shotgun and put the ball in the belly of AJ Dillon. Detroit’s defense collapsed on Dillon, so Love took the ball around left end. Tucker Kraft bullied a defensive back and Love was into the open field for a run of 36. The Packer didn’t score but they consumed 4 minutes.
The Lions scored a touchdown with 41 seconds to go but Jayden Reed recovered the onside kick. Like so many games in Detroit with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, Love took a knee and ran out the clock.
Jared Goff threw for 332 yards as the Lions outgained the Packers 464-377, but Green Bay’s third-down stops and three takeaways via Goff’s fumbles were the difference.
“Any time you go on the road in this league and you find a way to win a football game against a really quality opponent, that’s a pretty good feeling,” LaFleur said.
The Packers opened as 8.5-point underdogs but led 23-6 at halftime.
Green Bay won the toss and elected to take the ball – an unorthodox decision that paid off when Love hit Christian Watson for 53 on the first play. On Wednesday, LaFleur decided that would be the first play of the game. On Thursday morning, he had to be talked out of pivoting to a different choice by Love. The aggressive approach paid off with Love’s 10-yard touchdown to Reed.
The Lions answered, but the Packers struck again. Watson made a leaping catch to convert a third-and-8 before Love hit Kraft for a 9-yard touchdown on third-and-1. Kraft blocked Aidan Hutchinson as Love faked the handoff to Dillon. Kraft then broke free of Hutchinson and was wide open for the score.
Three plays later, the Packers struck again to lead 20-6. Gary knocked the ball free just as Goff was ready to pass. The ball bounced right into the hands of Owens, who picked up the ball in stride and raced 27 yards for a touchdown.
Three plays later, the Packers were in business again. Goff scrambled on third-and-5 but had the ball jarred loose by Karl Brooks, who recovered at Detroit’s 23. However, on fourth-and-1, Love and Dillon collided on the handoff and Dillon was swarmed.
The play could have turned the momentum but did not. Carlson’s 43-yard field goal made it 23-6 midway through the second quarter.
Love finished the half an impressive 15-of-20 passing for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Compare that to 6-of-13 for 50 yards as the Packers trailed 27-3 at halftime in Week 4. Goff was 8-of-16 for 100 yards. Gary had two sacks and two of the five quarterback hits.
The Lions stormed right down the field to grab the momentum to open the third quarter. David Montgomery plowed forward for the touchdown and 2-point run to make it 23-14.
But the Packers didn’t blink. So, just like so many other trips to Detroit over the past three-plus decades, the Packers went home with a victory. The only difference was the quarterback.
