Green Bay held off a late charge from Detroit in the early game…
Jordan Love delivered one of his strongest outings in a Green Bay jersey, throwing four touchdowns and pulling the Packers to a 31-24 win over the Detroit Lions.
Two of those scores came on fourth-down plays during a clinical first half that set the tone for the night on the opener for Thanksgiving.
The result moves Green Bay to 8-3-1 for the season and hands them a clean sweep over Detroit, which could carry weight in a tight NFC North race.
They sit just behind the Chicago Bears on 8-3, with Chicago due to face Philadelphia on Friday. Detroit, meanwhile, drop to 7-5 and slip further away from the playoff frame after three defeats in five games.
The Lions will look back at so many missed chances. They opened the second half by turning the ball over on downs, and another stalled fourth-down attempt early in the fourth quarter deepened their trouble.
Two plays after Jahmyr Gibbs was stuffed short of the marker, Love found Christian Watson for a 51-yard strike that pushed Green Bay into a 24-14 lead.
Detroit later faced fourth-and-3 at the Packers 21 with the gap still at ten, but Jameson Williams could not hold a catch.
The defense did manage a stop soon after, and Jared Goff guided a response that reached the Packers 4, only for Micah Parsons to break through for a key sack.
The Lions settled for a field goal, trimming the score to 31-24 with 2:59 on the clock. Parsons walked away with two and a half sacks in total.
From there, Love saw the game out. An 8-yard completion to Watson on third-and-5 kept the clock moving, and a fourth-and-3 conversion to Dontayvion Wicks for 16 sealed it.
Love finished 18 of 30 for 234 yards with touchdown throws of 22 yards to Wicks and two yards to Romeo Doubs in the second quarter.
After the break, he hit Watson deep and added a one-yard pass to Wicks for the receiver’s second touchdown of both the game and his season.
Goff produced steady numbers – 20 of 26 for 256 yards – and found Williams for a 22-yard touchdown late in the first half, before connecting with rookie Isaac TeSlaa from 17 yards in the third.
