With another big prime-time win, the Detroit Lions take over first place in the NFC North. Detroit rolled out to a big start in the first half and then held on in the second half to defeat the Packers, 34-20, at Green Bay on Thursday night.
The Lions (3-1) sit atop the division alone. The Packers fall to 2-2 while the Bears and Vikings are winless.
“You’ve got to win your division games and, man, if you can get them on the road that goes a long way,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “We knew that and this is important, it’s not the end-all be-all but it is important.’’
It was Lions’ fourth straight win over the Packers.
“Our defense continues to play well. I thought they were a force today. We talked about having energy and intensity and be able to deliver in the tough moments. I thought we did that,’’ Campbell said.
“Offensively we were able to move the football, we ran it well. We had a couple shaky spots but we closed that game out with the offense and special teams continues to play well for us,’’ the coach added.
The red-hot bunch, which has won in prime time at Lambeau and Arrowhead, has won 11 of their last 14 games.
“I’m really happy with where we’re at. I’m proud of the guys, the staff, everybody,’’ Campbell said. “That was outstanding to be able to snap back on a short week with that kind of performance. We were really good.’’
Five reasons the Lions won:
1. Detroit’s pass rush picked up where it left off in the win over the Falcons when they had 7 sacks. On two of his first four snaps, quarterback Jordan Love was sacked. It did not end there. He was sacked five times and pressured often. He rebounded a bit in the second half, but not enough. Cornerback Jerry Jacobs had his second interception with four minutes left in the game which pretty much sealed the win. He is the first Lions CB to have two INTs at Green Bay since CB Dick LeBeau on Sept. 29, 1968. “That’s what we all expected from Jerry,” Campbell said.
2. After throwing an interception on his third snap, quarterback Jared Goff shook it off and led the offense to 284 first-half yards and 401 yards total. Goff has said it’s not the big plays that make all the difference, it’s how he bounces back from a bad play. That’s exactly what he did. When the Packers were getting close in the fourth quarter, Goff led the touchdown drive. He finished completing 19 of 28 for 210 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
3. Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta just keeps getting better. His 35-yard catch on third-and-5 in the first, set up the Lions’ first touchdown. He finished with four catches for 56 yards. He also has the most receiving yards and receptions through an NFL tight end’s first four career games.
4. The Lions were able to stop the run, holding the Packers to 27 rushing yards. “It’s always important that you make a team one-dimensional, but we felt like they were going to come out and take some shots early and they did,’’ Campbell said. “They tried to throw it a little bit and see if they could make some hay on the back end. They weren’t able to necessarily do that. … It was an outstanding defensive performance.’’ Quarterback Jordan Love had a tough night. He might have a bright future, but he’s no Aaron Rodgers at this point. Love was 23 of 36 for 246 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
5. On the other side, running back David Montgomery’s return sparked the Lions 211-yard run game. He scored two first-half touchdowns and added another in the fourth. Montgomery finished with 32 carries for 121 yards. He is the first Lions player to rush for 100-plus yards and three TDs in a game since RB James Stewart did so on Oct. 19, 2000. Rookie Jahmyr Gibbs had 8 carries for 40 yards.
BONUS: Lions fans travel well and they was plenty of Honolulu blue in the crowd at Lambeau. Campbell said he could particularly hear them late in the third and early in the fourth. “It’s awesome. You feel like there’s a little piece of home no matter where you go,’’ Campbell said.
NEXT UP: Panthers (0-3) at Lions (3-1), 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8, at Ford Field.
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