The Packers (5-6) were in control of a game they never trailed, taking advantage of Jared Goff’s career-high three fumbles — returning one for a score in the first quarter — and Dan Campbell’s aggressiveness on fourth down.
The Lions (8-3) went for it five times on fourth down and only converted once on the final touchdown drive. One of the failed attempts was a decision to fake a punt with a run from their 23 in the third quarter down by nine points.
Three plays after the failed fake, Love threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Watson to give Green Bay a 29-14 lead.
Goff pulled Detroit within seven points with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Josh Reynolds and two-point conversion pass to Sam LaPorta with 41 seconds left, but couldn’t get any closer four days after rallying from a 12-point deficit in the last few minutes in a comeback win over Chicago.
The Lions were called for an illegal formation when they attempted an onside kick, a fitting end for them on an afternoon that started poorly and didn’t get much better to deflate what was a fired-up crowd.
(Duane Burleson / Associated Press)
Love was 22-of-32 passing for 268 yards with three touchdowns. He had a career-long 37-yard run on a play designed for him to run on third down late in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Rashan Gary led Green Bay’s dominant performance on defense by forcing a career-high two fumbles, recovering one of them, and tying a career high with three sacks of Goff on the same field where the former Michigan star tore a knee ligament last season.
Goff finished 29-of-44 passing for 332 yards with two touchdowns, including one on a seven-yard pass to LaPorta on Detroit’s first drive.