The home Detroit Lions defeated the Green Bay Packers 34-31 on Thursday night, setting a franchise milestone with their 11th straight victory thanks to a 35-yard field goal from Jake Bates on the game’s last play.
The Lions (12-1) had Jared Goff pass for 283 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Tim Patrick. David Montgomery scored a touchdown and amassed 84 total yards from both running and receiving.
Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs scored three running touchdowns. Jordan Love finished with 206 passing yards and a score after being limited to 31 yards in the first half.
With their two losses versus Detroit, the Packers (9-4) are 7-2 in their previous nine games.
Over their previous nine games, the Packers (9-4) are 7-2, with both of their losses coming against Detroit.
Love’s 12-yard scoring pass to tight end Tucker Kraft was set up by his 59-yard completion to Watson on the first possession of the second half. Detroit’s lead was now 17–14 as a result.
The Packers had the ball at the Lions’ 16-yard line when Keisean Nixon intercepted a Goff pass a few seconds later. With 11:15 left in the quarter, Jacobs’ 6-yard run gave Green Bay the lead.
In response, Goff and the Lions went on a 13-play drive. Goff put Detroit ahead 24–21 when he found Patrick on fourth-and-goal from the 3.
Detroit gambled on fourth-and-1 from its own 31 after forcing a punt, but it backfired as Gibbs was thrown for a loss. The Packers took the lead again in the first minute of the fourth quarter when Jacobs scored from 4 yards out.
With a 10-play drive that culminated in Goff’s 1-yard pass to Patrick with 8:39 remaining, the Lions stormed back. Brandon McManus’ 32-yard field goal with 3:38 remaining gave the Packers a 31-point lead.
During its subsequent possession, Detroit ran out of time. Montgomery’s 7-yard run on fourth-and-1 (with Goff collapsing as he passed the ball off) and a 16-yard pass from Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown in the final minute put Bates in position to attempt the game-winning kick.