How Packers hung on to defeat Lions 29-22 on Thanksgiving Day: Full analysis, highlights and stats

Underneath feel-good vibes, the first-place status, the shiny 8-3 record and the winning brand of football the Detroit Lions have proven capable of playing this season lies a team that could face a harsh reality come January, if it continues on its current trajectory.

That much was clear, after a 29-22 loss to the Green Bay Packers, and a not-so-happy Thanksgiving.

“They were ready, man,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “They played really well, and we did not. We didn’t play good enough and we did not complement each other.”

For the Lions on Thursday, there wasn’t much complementing among the three phases, and there wasn’t much to compliment. Choose your fighter. Offense? Defense? Special teams? Coaching? It’ll probably end the same way it did Thursday: with a loss.

This is the second game in a row that the Lions, at home, have been outplayed by an NFC North team with a losing record. The Bears had the Lions on the ropes with a little over four minutes to go, up two scores. It took a late-game surge to avoid a letdown vs. Chicago, in a game Lions players said they should’ve lost. They didn’t have to offer those sentiments against the Packers. The scoreboard said it all.

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Matt LaFleur texted Jordan Love on Thursday morning that he was going to change the play call for the Green Bay Packers’ first offensive play of the game. He was concerned the Packers wouldn’t have the potential checkdowns they might need.

The first-year starting quarterback told his coach to keep it, so LaFleur did.

In an uncharacteristic decision, the Packers chose to receive the opening kickoff after winning the coin toss. And on the first play from scrimmage, Love uncorked a bomb to wide receiver Christian Watson deep down the middle of the field. The ball was underthrown — Love should’ve led Watson for a touchdown after he beat cornerback Cam Sutton on the inside — but Watson skyed for an impressive 53-yard grab between Sutton and safety Tracy Walker.

Love said they knew Wednesday that a deep shot to Watson would be first on the docket.

“It sets me up for some great dreams, different ways of coming down with it, scoring and all that,” Watson said. “I love going to bed knowing that there’s plays in the offense for me, especially starting off like that. It’s exactly the position I want to be in.”

Watson said that as soon as he ran onto the field, he saw Walker, the safety, playing low. Watson’s first couple of steps, he felt Walker not get out quickly enough.

“And that’s exactly when I knew it was going to work,” Watson said. “Obviously, got a lot of faith in my speed, so you’ve got to be able to run fast and try to beat the safety and get back to the post.”

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Rough day all around for the Lions. The defense made Jordan Love look like his Packers QB predecessors, throwing for 268 yards and three touchdowns in his first Thanksgiving start. On the other side, QB Jared Goff fumbled three times — recovered by the Packers each time, including one for a touchdown. The offensive line had one of its worst games of the season, unable to handle Green Bay's front seven in protection or in space. And the red-zone offense wasn't inefficient throughout the game. The Lions haven't won on Thanksgiving since 2016. After today, that streak will last another year at the very least.

The Lions will have 10 days off before their next game — a trip to New Orleans. It'll be much-needed, because there's work to do. The defense has had few answers the last five games. There's been little-to-no pass rush and the coverage has been soft. Goff has six turnovers in his last two games, and that's simply not going to get it done. The Lions were always far from a finished product this season. Their issues are starting to show.

It was a pretty good early game for fantasy managers who had starters in the Packers-Lions game.

Jordan Love led the way with a season high 26.62 points, a pace that gives him consecutive games with 20+ points. He will now be in the QB1 conversation for the foreseeable future.

Christian Watson will now be a flex start candidate after finally living up to his WR2 ADP for once, as his two touchdowns led to 20.4 PPR points.

Jayden Reed will join Watson in that flex start discussion, as his 15.0 PPR points marks the third game in a row that he has scored 15+ PPR points.

It was a slow start for the Lions players, as only Sam LaPorta had a solid point total in the first half, but things were much improved in the second half.

Amon-Ra St. Brown ended up with 18.5 PPR points to keep his strong WR1-caliber season going.

Jared Goff had his second-best scoring day since Week 6 with 18.18 points.

LaPorta had a quiet second half but still ended up with 17.7 PPR points.

David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs both had awful first half numbers but salvaged things, as Montgomery finished with 15.1 PPR points and Gibbs closed out with 11.3 PPR points.

The Packers entered Thursday's tilt with the Lions as two-score underdogs. Not only was Green Bay 4-6 and Detroit 8-2, but the Packers were without running back Aaron Jones, inside linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, cornerback Jaire Alexander, tight end Luke Musgrave, safety Darnell Savage and safety Rudy Ford. The Lions had one player ruled out on their injury report, left guard Jonah Jackson. But this is why they play the game because, against one of the best team in the NFL, a team who has looked lost for the majority of the season marched into opposing territory and snatched an upset win to revitalize their playoff hopes. Green Bay uncharacteristically chose to receive the opening kickoff after winning the toss and one the first play from scrimmage, wide receiver Christian Watson hauled in an underthrown bomb from Jordan Love for a 53-yard gain. The Packers scored a touchdown four plays later when Love threaded the needle to receiver Jayden Reed and the Packers never relinquished the lead.

Love looked all the bit of a franchise quarterback on Thursday, completing 22 of 31 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns to go along with what was essentially the game-sealing 37-yard keeper on third-and-1 late in the fourth quarter. In the last two games, he's completed 49 of 71 passes for 590 yards and five touchdown passes. Love has now looked better in each of his last four successive games — the Packers are 3-1 in that span — and he should have squelched any doubt from inside or outside 1265 Lombardi Ave. as to whether he's the guy for Green Bay.

While the Packers' offense certainly came to play, it was the other side of the ball that produced the best story of the day. Outside linebacker Rashan Gary tore his ACL at Ford Field last season. In his first game back, Gary had three sacks and two forced fumbles, one that was picked up by safety Jonathan Owens and returned for a touchdown and one that Gary recovered himself on fourth down in the fourth quarter. After registering no sacks from Weeks 7-10, Gary has four sacks in the last two games. That's why the Packers just gave him an extension worth $24 million per year.

It’s been quite an unusual drive chart for the Lions today, as this how Detroit’s 10 drives have ended:

1. Touchdown
2. Fumble
3. Fumble
4. Punt
5. Downs
6. Punt
7. Touchdown
8. Downs
9. Fumble
10. Downs

The Lions trailed by as many as 17 points today. Per TruMedia, Detroit has lost 37 straight games in which it trailed by at least 17 points.

The Lions’ last win after trailing by 17 or more came in Week 8 of 2014 against the Falcons (trailed 21-0, won 22-21).

Lions QB Jared Goff is strip-sacked by Rashan Gary on fourth-and-7 and the Packers take over at their own 39-yard line.

Detroit, which has gone for it on fourth down this season at an NFL-high 33.8 percent of all fourth-down opportunities, is 0-for-3 on fourth down today. The Lions have had only one game in three seasons under Dan Campbell in which they went 0-for-3 or worse on fourth down (0-for-6 at Patriots in 2022 Week 5).

• The Packers scored a season-high 20 first-quarter points to grab an early 20-6 lead. Green Bay had scored 27 total first-quarter points in its first 10 games this season combined.
• Jared Goff had a pair of fumbles in the first half including one that was returned 27 yards for a touchdown by Packers DB Jonathan Owens.
• The Lions opened the second half with a 72-yard scoring drive capped by a 6-yard rush by David Montgomery. Montgomery has rushed for a touchdown in three straight and seven of his eight games played this season.
• In the third quarter, Jordan Love connected with Christian Watson for his third touchdown pass of the game, matching his season high. It was Watson’s second straight game with a TD catch and he already has season highs for catches and receiving yards in the game. The TD (and failed two-point conversion) gave Green Bay a 29-14 lead.

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Green Bay takes a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter of this game and yet the Packers are listed at only -6.5 points in live in-game betting at BetMGM. It shows that even with a big lead, the betting public still doesn’t have a lot of faith in Green Bay.

The Packers add to their lead with a 16-yard TD pass from Jordan Love to Christian Watson.

The score gives Love seven touchdown passes in his last three games.

Watson now has TD catches in back-to-back games (one in first six games played this season) and season highs in receptions (five) and receiving yards (94).

Christian Watson was a borderline WR2 in preseason fantasy drafts, but injuries have made him so unreliable that fantasy managers have pretty much not been able to use him in lineups.

That may be changing with this game, as Watson has now scored two touchdowns and has a season-high 20.4 PPR points. With Green Bay having some favorable pass coverage matchups coming up (Week 14 at the Giants, Week 15 versus Tampa Bay), Watson will be headed into many lineups in upcoming weeks.

Detroit was fired up at the beginning of the third quarter and drove downfield with authority to score a touchdown and two-point conversion, but the betting public is still on board with Green Bay as the favorite, as the Packers remain listed at -4.5 points in live in-game betting at BetMGM.

The Lions strike first in the second half with a seven-play, 72-yard scoring drive capped by a 6-yard rushing touchdown by David Montgomery.

Montgomery has rushed for a touchdown in three straight and seven of his eight games played this season.

Montgomery also added the two-point conversion to cut the Packers’ lead to 23-14.