Detroit Lions vs Green Bay Packers Match Player Stats On Nov 15, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Nov 15, 2015

GREEN BAY, Wis. – A generation of Detroit Lions fans witnessed something they'd never seen before on Sunday: A Lions victory at Lambeau Field.

Detroit (2-7) shocked the reeling Green Bay Packers (6-3) 18-16 on Sunday. The victory snapped the Lions' 24-game losing streak in Wisconsin, the longest in NFL history and one that dated to 1991 -- before the Brett Favre-Aaron Rodgers era at quarterback. It was the first game for the Lions since general manager Martin Mayhew and president Tom Lewand were fired last week.

As is the Lions' way, it wasn't easy, as they survived a frantic Packers comeback but escaped when Green Bay kicker Mason Crosby appeared to mis-hit a 52-yard field-goal attempt on the final play.

When quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with receiver Lance Moore for a 4-yard touchdown with 1:57 remaining, the game should have been all but over. Instead, Matt Prater missed his second extra point of the game, giving Green Bay sliver of hope down 18-10.

Green Bay took possession at its 27 and used a 19-yard screen to running back James Starks, a 12-yard pass to tight end Justin Perillo and a 9-yard screen to Starks to advance to the Lions' 29 with 51 seconds remaining. On third-and-1, Rodgers hit tight end Richard Rodgers, who fought to get out of bounds at the Detroit 23 with 45 seconds to go.

On second-and-10, Aaron Rodgers threw incomplete to Richard Rodgers but defensive end Ziggy Ansah was flagged for roughing the passer on a low to the back of the quarterback's left knee. That made it first-and-10 from the 11 with 36 seconds to go. On the next play, Rodgers stepped up in the pocket and fired a touchdown pass to Perillo, who beat linebacker Tahir Whitehead and safety Glover Quinn.

Down 18-16, the Packers missed on a two-point try when Detroit cornerback Crezdon Butler, who was promoted from the practice squad on Saturday, broke up a pass to receiver Davante Adams.

Green Bay wasn't done. Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson couldn't field the onside kick but Packers rookie Damarious Randall did, giving Green Bay the ball at the Detroit 49 with 32 seconds to play. Two completions to Adams, who was targeted 21 times in the game and caught 10 passes for 79 yards, gave Green Bay a chance for the winning field goal but Crosby's kick didn't even get to the end zone.

The Packers have lost three in a row with Rodgers at quarterback for the first time since 2008. The first two were on the road at teams that were undefeated, Carolina and Denver. The Lions had given up 37.3 points per game in their previous four games but held Green Bay's struggling offense in check.

Rodgers threw for 333 yards but needed 61 passes (35 completions) to do it.

With the game tied 3-3 at halftime, Detroit rookie running back Ameer Abdullah returned the second-half kickoff 104 yards before being hauled down by Micah Hyde at the 1. On third-and-goal from the 2, Stafford hit tight end Brandon Pettigrew for a touchdown as linebacker Julius Peppers fell in coverage. Prater missed the extra point, but the Lions jumped in front 9-3.

Late in the third quarter, the Lions drove into scoring position but, on third-and-9, Stafford's pass deep down the middle was intercepted by Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at the 6. Not that it mattered. A first-down run by Starks gained 1, Rodgers scrambled and was sacked by Jason Jones on second down and Rodgers' third-down pass to receiver Randall Cobb wasn't close to being completed.

Prater's 51-yard field goal gave Detroit a 12-3 lead with 13:10 remaining. That lead seemed almost insurmountable for the Packers, with Rodgers 18-of-32 for just 148 yards through three quarters.

The Packers did get it going. On third-and-9 they converted with a defensive pass interference and then a third-and-12 on Rodgers' across-his-body throw to Cobb for a gain of 20. After receiver Davante Adams dropped a potential 36-yard touchdown, Rodgers hit receiver Jared Abbrederis for a 32. And after James Jones dropped a pass in the end zone, Rodgers fired a bullet to Richard Rodgers for a touchdown. That cut the margin to 12-10 with 5:55 remaining.

But Detroit's offense came through with a couple of big plays. On third-and-9, Stafford got away from two potential sacks and connected with Johnson for a gain of 13. And on third-and-3 from the Packers' 48, Stafford beat a blitz with a short pass to receiver Golden Tate, who broke two tackles en route to a 43-yard gain. On the first play after the two-minute warning, the Stafford-to-Moore connection made it 18-10 with 1:57 remaining.

NOTES: RB Eddie Lacy, who had been replaced as the primary running back at the start of the week, was inactive. He was listed as questionable on the injured report with a groin. … The Packers lost LT David Bakhtiari to a knee injury in the second half. … Lions RB Ameer Abduallah's 104-yard kickoff return was the team's longest since Stefan Logan's 105-yard touchdown in 2010.