At some point in defense you have to make stops, even in short-yardage situations. That was the biggest problem for the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night in Detroit, as Jeff Hafley’s unit simply couldn’t find a way to get off the field.

Dan Campbell’s Lions were machines in late down situations, especially on 4th down. They converted 7 of 15 attempts on third down, then kept the offense on the field on five of eight misses and converted four more on fourth down. This means that of the 15 total chances at a stop, the Packers were only successful four times.

This just won’t work. The offense can only do so much, and asking this unit to do more than score 31 points in just 45 snaps is absurd. The only real disappointment on that side of the ball was Christian Watson’s fumble in the second quarter; After halftime, Jordan Love and his team did just about everything you could ask of them.

Hafley needs to find a way to fix this problem soon, even if he can’t get some of his key injured players back on the field. Unfortunately, the secondary is now frustratingly thin following injuries to the team’s two rookie safeties, but that can’t be helped. For this team to win games like Thursday’s, they just need to be better situationally on defense, and it’s as simple as that.

Quick Reaction: Packers’ Playoff Picture Simplified, But Nothing Guaranteed | Packers.com
Now it’s simple: The Packers will aim for the 5th or 6th seed to avoid facing the Eagles in the Wild Card round.

‘Lions go all-in’ on Campbell’s gamble in walk-off win over Packers – ESPN
Dan Campbell kept his offense on the field five times on fourth downs, and they converted on four of them – including the game-tying play with less than a minute left. Crazy? Yes. But this time at least it worked.

Packers QB Jordan Love makes insane throw in loss to Lions | Packers Wire
By the power of Toyotathon, what a throw!

Packers cede ‘Clash of the Titans’ to Lions on night where defense faltered – The Athletic ($)
At least the game lived up to the hype.

Feud between Tucker Kraft and Kerby Joseph highlights Packers-Lions rivalry game | SI.com
How can you not love Tucker Kraft? As he freaked out after a big hit, his thought was this: “Get my ass off… They can hit me as hard as they want; I’ll get up.”

Giant Cyborg Cockroaches Could Be the Search and Rescue Forces of the Future – LocalNews8.com – KIFI
Is this really the future we want to live in?