Lions maintain control of NFC North with late win over Packers – Blogging Sole

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions firmly positioned themselves to repeat as back-to-back NFC North champions with a courageous 34-31 victory over the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field Thursday evening.

The Lions have now won 11 straight games, which is the longest streak in franchise history, despite falling behind 28-24 in the fourth quarter and a plethora of defensive injuries.

The Lions haven’t lost to Green Bay since November 23, 2023, 378 days ago, and their only loss this season came against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 15.

Here are the most important things to know from Thursday night for both teams:

Promising trend: Detroit’s ‘Sonic & Knuckles’ running back duo Jahmyr Gibbs And David Montgomery continued to enjoy Thursday. Montgomery, aka “Knuckles,” helped the Lions score first with a 3-yard touchdown run on the opening drive. Gibbs, nicknamed “Sonic,” gave the Lions a much-needed boost at halftime with a 2-yard quarterback touchdown run. Jared Goff with 11 seconds left in the second quarter. Gibbs and Montgomery also made history Thursday, becoming the first Lions running back duo to record at least 12 touchdowns from scrimmage in a single season.

Disturbing trend: Lions rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold has now been called for pass interference seven times this season, which is the most in the league. On Thursday, he was flagged in the end zone while covering the Packers receiver. Christian Watson with 5:49 in the second quarter, establishing a Josh Jacobs rushing touchdown on the next play.

Most surprising performance: Lions WR Tim Patrick. Patrick continued to find a role in Detroit’s high-powered offense with six catches for 43 yards against Green Bay. He caught his first touchdown as a Lion on a 3-yard pass from Goff at 5:02 in the third quarter, then caught his second touchdown on a 1-yard toss from Goff with 8:39 left in the fourth. These were Patrick’s first NFL touchdowns since 2021, when he played for the Denver Broncos. Patrick, who missed the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to knee and Achilles injuries, was signed to Detroit’s practice squad in August before being placed on the active roster on September 24 before Week 4 . —Eric Woodyard

Next game: against. Buffalo Bills (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, December 15)

It sure looks like the Packers are out of the NFC North race, but if Thursday’s loss to the Lions was any indication, they won’t be conceding anything just yet.

The Packers (9-4) fell three games behind the Lions (12-1) with four games remaining. The Vikings (10-2) are sandwiched between the two.

The problem for the Packers is that they were swept by the Lions, who won convincingly earlier this season at Lambeau Field. This time, however, they pushed the Lions to the brink in what was a tie game when the Lions took over with 3:38 left.

The Packers are now 1-3 in the division and still have to travel to Minnesota in Week 17 before closing with the Bears – the only NFC North team they have beaten this season.

Crucial game: In a game with so many twists and turns, it ultimately came down to whether the Packers defense could get one last stop to give them a chance to make a last-minute play or go into overtime. And it wasn’t possible. On second and 17 from the Packers’ 37-yard line, the defense allowed Goff to punch Amon-Ra St. Brown for 16 meters on a crossing route. Even if the Packers save security Zayne Anderson Stopped Montgomery for no gain on third-and-1 at the 21-yard line, Montgomery converted on fourth-and-1 — even as Goff fumbled before putting it back — to set up the game-winning field goal.

QB breakdown: Jordan Love totaled 31 passing yards in the first half. That changed quickly after halftime. He nearly doubled that number on his first throw of the second half – a 59-yard run to wide receiver Christian Watson. This led to a 12-yard touchdown pass to the tight end Tucker Kraft that cut the Lions’ lead to 17-14 less than two minutes into the second half. The deep ball to Watson traveled 42 yards through the air for Love’s fourth completion this season of 40 or more air yards. Only the one in Washington Jayden Daniels (with five) has more such achievements this season. Love finished the night 12 of 21 for 206 yards and a touchdown pass.

Most surprising performance: How often do an NFL head coach and a fan on the field get into an argument before the game? Packers coach Matt LaFleur did it. He seemed to lose his composure before the match even started. LaFleur was filmed chomping at the bit with a Lions fan who was part of the group holding the American flag during the national anthem. Speaking of LaFleur, he fell to 0 for 5 on replay challenges this season after losing one in the second quarter. He threw the red flag to question the location of the ball on a 4-yard gain by Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs on a third-and-4 play from his own 17-yard line. — Rob Demovsky

Next game: has Seattle Seahawks (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, December 15)