The Chicago Bears may be in first place in the NFC North — at least for the moment — but the Green Bay Packers know it's the Detroit Lions who are their biggest threat to winning the division crown. It's the Lions, after all, who've won the last two division championships.
That's why Thursday's head-to-head matchup at Ford Field was so critical to the Packers. This was their chance to put some distance between them and the Lions — and they did exactly that.
The aggressive-minded Packers won 31-24, completing the season sweep of Detroit after winning 27-13 in Week 1. With the win, Green Bay is now 8-3-1 and Detroit falls to 7-5 with just five games to go. The Packers are in a prime spot now, and the injury-riddled Lions are fading fast.
Green Bay has had its share of troubles the past month, but by Thursday night they were right back to where they wanted to be. They've got a 1.5-game lead on the Lions, and own the all-important tiebreaker. Now they've got the Bears — a team they've owned for decades — twice in the next three weeks.
All is right in Cheesehead World once again.
“Credit to our O-line for giving me plenty of time to make those throws,” said Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who tied a career hight with four touchdown passes, including two on fourth down. “It’s really the reason why we were able to win the game. We knew what was at stake with his game. It's a tight race.
“Matt wanted to definitely stay aggressive in this game, and we had conversations all week. I think it’s just the confidence he has in everybody on the offense to be able to go out there and make those plays, and it’s one of those games where you've got to be aggressive. We know it’s a really good offense on the other side of the ball, and you want to stay away from trying to give them the ball back.”
Love hit Christian Watson four times for 80 yards and a score, including a 51-yarder. Dontayvion Wicks had six catches for 94 yards and two scores, and Micah Parsons led the attack defensively, recording 2.5 sacks.
Those four were the stars or the game, according to Packers Roundtable writer Andrew Kulha.
4 Stars From Green Bay Packers’ Thanksgiving Day Win Over Detroit Lions
Jordan Love and Dontayvion Wicks ignited the offense while Micah Parsons dominated defensively. Discover the four standout performers from the Green Bay Packers' Thanksgiving Day win over the Detroit Lions.
This was Green Bay's first sweep of the Lions since 2020 and the first on LaFleur's watch over Lions coach Dan Campbell. LaFleur took several risks on fourth down – bu the Packers came through every time. They went 3-for-3 on fourth down — and Campbell’s Lions went 0-for-2. The Packers scored two touchdowns on fourth down and then iced the game with a late fourth-down conversion.
“Every game’s its own game, and we just came in here with an aggressive mindset, and I think that’s one of the ways you have to play against these guys, knowing that you’re going to defend four downs and it’s a really good football team,” LaFleur said.
“They’ve won a lot of games, and they’ve been one of the premier teams in the league for the last few years now. They’ve got a lot of great players. I’ve got so much respect for Dan and his staff and what they’ve been able to accomplish.”
Detroit is 7-5 now and in a bit of trouble. As on Friday morning, they are on the outside looking in in the NFC playoff race. (San Francisco at 8-4 holds the seventh and final spot.) Much of their offensive line is banged up and star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown went down early with an ankle injury and might miss a few weeks.
Here's the latest from Lions Roundtable writer Adam Stark.
St. Brown Injured as Lions Fall 31-24 to Packers
The final score told only part of the story. In a 31-24 loss to Green Bay, the Detroit Lions exposed mounting flaws that now threaten to derail their pursuit of the division crown.
The game basically swung on fourth-down success and failures. In those critical moments, Green Bay went 3-for-3, and the Lions 0-for-2.
“I don’t think there’s anything you can do,” Detroit quarterback Jared Goff told reporters when asked about the Lions’ fourth-down issues. “You’ve just got to execute in those big moments. That’s really it.
"I wish there was some magic potion to take to be better on fourth down, but there’s not. I had (wide receiver Jameson Williams) open, he’s streaming across, I’ve got to hit him. That’s the bottom line. There’s no other way to fix it. I hit him there, then we’re 1-for-2 on fourth down and probably get more points there.”
The Lions play on Thursday again next week, hosting the red-hot Dallas Cowboys. Green Bay takes on the Bears at Lambeau Field next Sunday in the late TV window (4:25 p.m. ET).