Lions fall short in comeback to Packers, lose 34-27
By Matt Urben
The Detroit Lions lost to the division rival Green Bay Packers by a final score of 34-27. After giving up an early lead, the Lions came up just short of making a comeback.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdowns in the first half and Detroit was unable to come back, despite 3 touchdowns and nearly 400 yards from Matthew Stafford. The Lions didn’t show up until late in the first half but were already down 31-3 when they scored their first touchdown. Marvin Jones had two impressive touchdowns and over 200 yards receiving – his career best – in the losing effort. The Lions couldn’t get pressure on Rodgers, nor could they cover on the back end. With the win, the Packers go to 2-1 on the year, while Detroit falls to 1-2. Here are my notes from the game.
1st Quarter
The Lions kicked off to start the game and the Packers drove right down to score. Rodgers hit DaVante Adams wide open over the middle on 3rd-and-7, for a 14-yard touchdown. The Lions failed to match, settling for a 42-yard field goal. Aaron Rodgers got into a nice rhythm and drove down easily for another touchdown. He simply couldn’t be stopped and before the Lions knew it, they were down 14-3 with Rodgers cruising down for his third touchdown drive. The Packers killed the clock with a couple effective drives that wore down the Lions defense.
End of 1st Quarter: Packers lead 14-3.
2nd Quarter
Aaron Rodgers hit Richard Rodgers for a touchdown to go up 21-3. Marvin Jones responded with a big catch on right sideline. However, on the next play, Ebron bobbled the ball and it was essentially ripped out of his hands for an interception. Rodgers cashed in again. Matt Prater missed a 43-yarder, wasting a decent Lions drive. The Lions could do nothing to slow Rodgers, while Matthew Stafford couldn’t get Detroit’s offense on track. Rodgers hit Jordy Nelson to make it 31-3, with 1:10 left in the 2nd quarter. Stafford saved hope temporarily, finding Marvin Jones on a 73-yard touchdown pass. Jones was maybe the lone bright spot for Detroit early, with over 100 yards in the first half.
Halftime: 31-10, Packers.
3rd Quarter
The Lions took over to start the second half. They drove down with relative ease until reaching the goal line. Coach Caldwell elected to go for it on 4th and Stafford hit Anquan Boldin on a rollout for a touchdown – making it 31-17, Packers. Detroit got lucky when an Aaron Rodgers scramble was taken back on a hold, making the Packers eventually settle for a field goal. The Lions got the ball and moved it well to end the 3rd.
End of 3rd quarter 34-17, Packers.
4th Quarter
To start the fourth, the Lions were driving into Packers territory but due to two penalties against the Lions offensive line, they settled for a 50-yard field goal. They cut the deficit to 14 with 12:34 left in the 4th quarter. After forcing a Packers punt, the Lions got the ball with over 4 minutes left. Stafford connected on a deep pass to Marvin Jones for another long touchdown. The play cut the lead to just seven, with over three minutes left. Jones’ 6th catch gave him 205 total yards. They kicked off to the Packers with over three minutes left. Rodgers converted a 3rd-and-8 by scrambling for a first down, avoiding what looked to be a hold against the Packers offensive line. Green Bay converted one more first down and that was it for the Lions. The Packers held on to win, 34-27.
Final Score: Packers-34, Lions-27.
3 Stars
3. Matthew Stafford
Stafford had a couple of dangerous throws, but his one interception was basically an Ebron fumble. He didn’t do much in the first half, but he nearly got the Lions out of an early 31-3 hole. Stafford was 28-of-41, for 385 yards, and three touchdowns. He threw one interception and finished with a 112.3 QB rating.
2. Marvin Jones
Jones had arguably the best game of his career. Following up last week’s impressive performance, Jones caught 6 balls for 205, and 2 touchdowns. Had the Lions defense showed up, Jones may have been number one on this list. Still, he played a great game and cut down on last week’s drops.
1. Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers did most of his damage in the 1st half but when you throw 4 early touchdowns, that is generally enough to win most games. The Lions, who were thin on defense without Ziggy Ansah and DeAndre Levy, had no answer for Rodgers at any point. When he needed a play – both early and late in the game – he made it with surgical precision. He was without a doubt, the difference in this game.