DETROIT – The Detroit Lions positioned themselves firmly to assert themselves as back-to-back NFC North champions with a gutsy 34-31 win over the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field on Thursday night.

The Lions have now won 11 straight games, the longest streak in franchise history, despite falling behind 28-24 in the fourth quarter and overcoming a variety of defensive injuries.

The Lions have not lost to Green Bay since November 23, 2023, 378 days ago, and their only loss this season came on September 15 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Here are the key things to know from Thursday night for both teams:

Promising trend: Detroit’s “Sonic & Knuckles” duo of running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery continued to celebrate Thursday. Montgomery, also known as “Knuckles,” helped the Lions score with a 3-yard touchdown on the first drive. Gibbs, nicknamed “Sonic,” gave the Lions a much-needed halftime boost with a 2-yard receiver touchdown from quarterback Jared Goff with 11 seconds left in the second quarter. Gibbs and Montgomery also made history on Thursday, becoming the first Lions running back duo to both score at least 12 scrimmage touchdowns in a single season.

Worrying trend: Lions rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold has now been called for pass interference seven times this season, which is the most in the league. On Thursday, he was stopped in the end zone while covering Packers receiver Christian Watson with 5:49 left in the second quarter, setting up a rushing touchdown by Josh Jacobs on the next play.

Most surprising performance: Lions WR Tim Patrick. With six catches for 43 yards against Green Bay, Patrick continued to play a role in Detroit’s high-powered offense. He caught his first touchdown as a Lion on a 3-yard pass from Goff with 5:02 left in the third quarter and then caught his second touchdown on a 1-yard toss from Goff with 8:39 left in the fourth quarter. They were Patrick’s first NFL touchdowns since 2021, when he played for the Denver Broncos. Patrick, who missed the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to knee and Achilles tendon injuries, was signed to Detroit’s practice squad in August before being elevated to the active roster on September 24 ahead of Week 4. –Eric Woodyard

Next game: vs. Buffalo Bills (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, December 15)

It certainly looks like the Packers are out of the NFC North race, but if Thursday’s loss to the Lions was any indication, they won’t be conceding anything just yet.

The Packers (9-4) trailed the Lions (12-1) by three games with four games remaining. The Vikings (10-2) are in between.

The problem for the Packers is that they were overwhelmed by the Lions, who won convincingly at Lambeau Field earlier this season. This time, however, they brought the Lions to the brink in a tie game as the Lions took the lead with 3:38 left.

The Packers are now 1-3 in the division and still have to go to Minnesota in Week 17 before finishing with the Bears – the only NFC North team they have beaten this season.

Key game: In a game with so many twists and turns, it ultimately came down to whether the Packers’ defense could get one last stop to give them a last-minute chance at a drive or overtime. And it couldn’t. On second-and-17 from the Packers’ 37-yard line, the defense allowed Goff to hit Amon-Ra St. Brown on a cross route for 16 yards. Although Packers backup safety Zayne Anderson failed to stop Montgomery on third-and-1 at the 21-yard line, Montgomery converted on fourth-and-1 – even as Goff stumbled before giving the ball away – and set up the ball before the game-winning field goal.

QB breakdown: Jordan Love totaled 31 yards in the first half. That changed suddenly after halftime. He almost doubled that number with his first throw of the second half – a 59-yard completion to wide receiver Christian Watson. This led to a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tucker Kraft that cut the Lions’ lead to 17-14 with less than two minutes left in the second half. The deep ball to Watson went 42 yards in the air, marking Love’s fourth time this season with 40 or more yards in the air. Only Washington’s Jayden Daniels (with five) has more such completions this season. Love finished the night going 12-for-21 for 206 yards and one touchdown pass.

Most surprising performance: How often does an NFL head coach and a fan get into a loud argument on the field before a game? Packers Matt LaFleur did it. The Packers coach lost his temper before the game even started. He was caught on camera chatting with a Lions fan who was part of the group holding the American flag during the national anthem. Speaking of LaFleur, he fell 0-5 in replays this season after losing one in the second quarter. He threw the red flag to question the point of the ball as Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored for a 4-yard gain on a third-and-4 play from his own 17-yard line. – Rob Demovsky

Next game: at the Seattle Seahawks (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, December 15)