Home is where your heart is, and for the Detroit Lions, that’s Ford Field as they defeated the Green Bay Packers 34-31 on “Thursday Night Football.” The Lions’ lead in the NFC North has increased and is now 12-1, the Minnesota Vikings are 10-2 and the Green Bay Packers are now 9-4. The win also secured Detroit’s playoff berth, making the Lions return to the postseason in consecutive seasons.

This game consisted of two halves as the Lions appeared to be in control in the first half and took a 17-7 lead into the break. However, with less than four minutes left in the second half, the Packers quickly took a 21-17 lead. The Lions overcame Goff’s interception early in the second half and continued to respond to everything Green Bay threw their way.

Check out my winners and losers from the big win against the Packers

winner

Jameson Williams

Williams had a big impact on Thursday. He was the leading receiver for Detroit, making five catches for 80 yards. Williams has really only played against Green Bay once, as he was limited in 2022 while recovering from that ACL, so the Packers don’t have much experience playing against him yet. In the fourth quarter, he made a big 19-yard catch to move the chains and the Lions got closer to field goal range.

Newbies and depth

Since the Lions lost several starters and defensive players, they made numerous signings from practice squad and free agency. They also moved players from their practice squad to the active roster to help them. Linebacker Kwon Alexander had two tackles and linebacker Mitchell Agude had one tackle when he was called up from the Lions’ practice squad.

Safety Jamal Adams helped put some pressure on the Packers’ offensive line and slowed down the running game, finishing the game with just one tackle. Defensive lineman Pat O’Connor had a good performance as he had a play where he timed the snap perfectly and broke up Packers quarterback Jordan Love’s throw. Defensive lineman Al-Quadin Muhammad had four tackles and continues to receive more playing time for Detroit.

Defensive end Myles Adams had three tackles, and linebackers David Long Jr. and Ezekiel Turner each had one tackle. Defensive end Jonah Williams did not record a tackle but did score a QB hit. The biggest question going into this game was whether Detroit’s defensive depth could keep up, and they did, as I just gave you nine players who weren’t on the Lions’ 53-man roster that played tonight and made meaningful plays. While they may not all be on the roster when others return, the team will be grateful for everything they have done for them.

Za’Darius Smith

The encounter with his former team and my X-factor before the match made his presence clear in defense from the first move of the game. Smith quickly grabbed Packers quarterback Jordan Love and sacked him for a loss of seven yards. Smith was the best addition this team made via trade or free agency/practice squad during the season. When the team needed someone after the loss of defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, they got the best possible replacement.

Smith finished the game with two tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack. He is now the Lions’ best pass rusher on the team, and despite the team’s weakened defensive line, he is still making plays and impacting the defense.

Tim Patrick

Williams wasn’t the only wide receiver to impact this game, it’s safe to say Tim Patrick had the biggest impact of all. In addition to scoring his first touchdown as a Lion, Patrick scored twice, and both touchdowns were great plays. The first was a fourth-down pass that gave Detroit a 24-21 lead in the third quarter. The second half gave Detroit a 31-28 lead in the fourth quarter.

Patrick managed more than just one score, finishing the game with six catches for 43 yards and two touchdowns. He made a few more helpful catches for the Lions’ offense and filled the WR3 role well. When Detroit had wide receiver Josh Reynolds, Goff looked for him on third downs and clutch plays. Over the course of the season, Patrick has developed into the player that makes the Lions’ offense lethal to Goff.

loser

More injuries

Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill left the game in the first quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. He returned to action but missed the second half due to a head injury. The defense has been missing more players than any other unit, so losing another starting defensive player isn’t what you wanted here. That means the Lions’ entire starting defense is now dealing with injuries and not playing, which is not what you want in December, a month before the playoffs.

The offense wasn’t the only one dealing with injury, as right defenseman Kevin Zeitler missed a few games and would return later. Maybe he’ll have something to do in the coming weeks. The Lions already have left tackle Taylor Decker, so it’s not great to have another starting offensive lineman dealing with a nagging injury. The defense has been tested a lot this season by injuries while the offense hasn’t had as many obstacles, but their offense makes them explosive so anything that limits Detroit hurts a lot.

Run blocking

The Lions are a run-heavy team that needs the passing game to open up and the play-action plays to set up. The last time Detroit played Green Bay, Detroit ran for 124 yards, an average of 3.9 yards per carry, and scored a touchdown. This time, Detroit ran for 111 yards, an average of 3.3 yards per carry, and scored. No matter who was running the football for Detroit, there wasn’t much going on for them.

Running back Jahmyr Gibbs led the team with 15 carries for 43 yards, while David Montgomery had 14 carries for 51 yards and the touchdown. No matter whether Detroit tried to advance to the outside or the middle, there wasn’t much success. The Lions’ longest run was a 20-yard run by Gibbs. If your longest run accounts for almost 20 percent of your total production, that’s not good. The Packers have a good run defense and it showed this week against the Lions.