|
 Detroit (2-7) shocked the reeling Green Bay Packers 18-16 on Sunday.
The victory snapped the Lions' 24-game losing streak in Wisconsin,
the longest in NFL history and one that dated to 1991 - before the
Brett Favre-Aaron Rodgers era at quarterback.
As is the Lions' way, it wasn't easy, as they survived a frantic
comeback by the Packers (6-3) but escaped when Green Bay kicker
Mason Crosby appeared to mis-hit a 52-yard field-goal attempt on the
final play.
"It's a big win for us," said embattled Lions coach Jim Caldwell.
"It's the first one in this quarter (of the season), against a
division foe that's been outstanding within this league. To be able
to come in here and get a win is pretty special. I can certainly
feel and sense how eager everybody was to come here and get a
victory."
When quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with receiver Lance
Moore for a 4-yard touchdown with 1:57 remaining, the game should
have been all but over. Instead, Matt Prater missed his second extra
point of the game, giving Green Bay a sliver of hope down 18-10.
Green Bay took possession at its 27-yard line and used a 19-yard
screen to running back James Starks, a 12-yard pass to tight end
Justin Perillo and a 9-yard screen to Starks to advance to the
Lions' 29 with 51 seconds remaining. On third-and-1, Rodgers hit
tight end Richard Rodgers, who fought to get out of bounds at the
Detroit 23 with 45 seconds to go.
On second-and-10, Aaron Rodgers threw incomplete to Richard Rodgers
but defensive end Ziggy Ansah was flagged for roughing the passer on
a low to the back of the quarterback's left knee. That made it
first-and-10 from the 11 with 36 seconds to go. On the next play,
Aaron Rodgers stepped up in the pocket and fired a touchdown pass to
Perillo, who beat linebacker Tahir Whitehead and safety Glover
Quinn.
Down 18-16, the Packers missed on a two-point try when Detroit
cornerback Crezdon Butler, who was promoted from the practice squad
on Saturday, broke up a pass to receiver Davante Adams.
"We got a lot of pressure up the middle and he put a little more air
on the ball than he wanted to and I ended up making the play,"
Butler said.
Green Bay wasn't done. Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson couldn't
field the onside kick but Packers rookie Damarious Randall did,
giving Green Bay the ball at the Detroit 49 with 32 seconds to play.
Two completions to Adams, who was targeted 21 times in the game and
caught 10 passes for 79 yards, gave Green Bay a chance for the
winning field goal but Crosby's kick didn't even get to the end
zone.
"We've got to win that game," Crosby said. "I hate it. It kills me
inside."
The Packers have lost three in a row with Rodgers at quarterback for
the first time since 2008. The first two were on the road at teams
that were undefeated, Carolina and Denver. This one, however, was a
major blow for Green Bay's psyche. The Lions had given up 37.3
points per game in their previous four games but became the latest
defense to hold Green Bay's offense in check. Now, it's on the road
to Minnesota for the NFC North lead next week.
"Losing is hard to swallow," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "But
these division games are most important. We know this stretch in
front of us is huge. We dropped one today that we felt we had a very
good opportunity to win this game. So, with that, we'll learn from
it (and) we won't get caught up in the dramatic things that may
chase these types of games."
[to top of second column] |
Rodgers threw for 333 yards but needed 61 passes (35 completions) to
do it.
"We've got to throw it better. We've got to catch it better, and
we've got to make some plays, especially when we're taking shots
down the field," Rodgers said.
With the game tied 3-3 at halftime, Detroit rookie running back
Ameer Abdullah returned the second-half kickoff 104 yards before
being hauled down by Micah Hyde at the 1. On third-and-goal from the
2, Stafford hit tight end Brandon Pettigrew for a touchdown as
linebacker Julius Peppers fell in coverage. Prater missed the extra
point, but the Lions jumped in front 9-3.
Late in the third quarter, the Lions drove into scoring position but
on third-and-9, Stafford's pass deep down the middle was intercepted
by Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at the 6. Not that it mattered.
A first-down run by Starks gained 1, Rodgers scrambled and was
sacked by Jason Jones on second down and Rodgers' third-down pass to
receiver Randall Cobb wasn't close to being completed.
Prater's 51-yard field goal gave Detroit a 12-3 lead with 13:10
remaining. That lead seemed almost insurmountable for the Packers,
with Rodgers 18-of-32 for just 148 yards through three quarters.
The Packers did get it going. On third-and-9 they converted with a
defensive pass interference and then a third-and-12 on Rodgers'
across-his-body throw to Cobb for a gain of 20. After Adams dropped
a potential 36-yard touchdown, Rodgers hit receiver Jared Abbrederis
for a 32-yard gain. And after James Jones dropped a pass in the end
zone, Rodgers fired a bullet to Richard Rodgers for a touchdown.
That cut the margin to 12-10 with 5:55 remaining.
But Detroit's offense came through with a couple of big plays. On
third-and-9, Stafford got away from two potential sacks and
connected with Johnson for a gain of 13. And on third-and-3 from the
Packers' 48, Stafford beat a blitz with a short pass to receiver
Golden Tate, who broke two tackles en route to a 43-yard gain. On
the first play after the two-minute warning, the Stafford-to-Moore
connection made it 18-10 with 1:57 remaining.
NOTES: RB Eddie Lacy, who had been replaced as the primary running
back at the start of the week, was inactive. He was listed as
questionable on the injured report with a groin ailment. ... The
Packers lost LT David Bakhtiari to a knee injury in the second half.
... Lions RB Ameer Abdullah's 104-yard kickoff return was the team's
longest since Stefan Logan's 105-yard touchdown in 2010.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
