The Detroit Lions might not be very liked by Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur right now!
Questionable penalties led to a lot of golden opportunities for the Lions on offense, although they didn't take advantage of many. Still, he had some obvious qualms on the sideline regarding the way that a lot of those calls were swinging.
Doesn't matter, though. The Lions left Ford Field in Week 7 with a 4-2 record, stepping further up in the NFC North divisional standings. While they might not be firing on all cylinders just yet, it's obvious they have the talent to do so.
We'll be talking about six winners, and two losers, from their Week 7 victory over the Packers, which already avenges their 0-2 record against the rival squad from last season.
6 winners (and 2 losers) from Lions' walk-off win
Winner: Amon-Ra St. Brown
St. Brown has had a really slow start to this season. A majority of snaps on offense have been dedicated to getting Jahmyr Gibbs going or, truth be told, to Jameson Williams. The latter receiver has been on a tear as of late, so it's understandable why he'd be getting more attention. But, St. Brown hasn't let that decrease his confidence.
He's basically constantly in lock-step with Jared Goff at all times, and Week 7 saw that symbiotic relationship reawaken again: 152 receiving yards on 11 targets from St. Brown paced the Lions, and contributed to just about half of Goff's 303 passing yards.
St. Brown looked like the WR1 for this team in a key divisional matchup, and you hope that he maintains that level of production in Week 8.
Loser: Cade Mays
After a stellar opening drive from the Lions, it seemed like Mays might've been the missing puzzle piece for a Detroit offense in need of faster starts and better pass protection in the first quarter. Then, he punched out a potential goal line stand by Jahmyr Gibbs later in the game, and snapped the ball awry on another fumble.
Mays had a tall task, having to look just as solid as Juice Scruggs has through the last five Lions games, and I'd give him a C+ for his efforts in his season debut. He will only get better and more acclimated to the Lions' offense and rhythm with more snaps.
Winner: Jake Bates
Bates looked pretty amazing in comparison to Packers kicker Trey Smack, who missed two close-range field goals and cost Green Bay six total points. That would've had them winning this game. To DJ Wonnum's credit, though, it seemed like he might've gotten a finger on his last kick to steer it far right.
Bates, in contrast, hit the game-winning field goal to get the Lions over the hump.
Winner: Jameson Williams
Williams scored two receiving touchdowns in the win, which was his second game in a row where he recorded two touchdown receptions. He's been a revelation when he's not dropping passes, which to his credit, has not been a heavy part of his diet for the last few weeks. His speed is something that Detroit, and specifically offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, are taking advantage of at a high level.
When he's not catching passes, he's doing an excellent job of blocking downfield for the rest of Detroit's weapons. He's been one of their best all-around players this year.
Loser: Dan Campbell
Campbell offered an explanation for his (at the time) very poor 4th-down decision in the fourth quarter of the Lions' win:
#Lions coach Dan Campbell explains fourth-down decision that almost cost them the lead in the fourth quarter.
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) October 25, 2026
"I thought we would get it. ... Two, I thought we would get the ball back if it didn't work out."
Listen...this invests a ton of faith in the Lions' defense, which played extremely well in this contest. Truthfully, they were the unit to keep the team in this one. But, it could've been disastrous had Wonnum not tipped Smack's field goal. Campbell has got to be a little less gungho in these situations, but that probably isn't happening anytime soon.
Winner: Brian Branch
Branch had an interception in his first game back for the Lions since last season, which is exactly what the doctor ordered against a Packers offense heavily reliant on deep passes. He looked good in his 2026 debut, and it should get fans excited about his potential against a Minnesota Vikings team that is struggling at quarterback at the moment.
Winner: Khalil Dorsey
Another defensive back that deserves some love is Dorsey, who kept stepping up in clutch moments for the Lions with multiple pass breakups. He was a plug and play dream for defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. Dorsey's been pretty under-the-radar this season, which is surprising given the veteran's reliability as a safety and cornerback for Detroit the last few seasons.
Being able to put him in coverage multiple times in this one, especially after Ennis Rakestraw Jr. injured his ankle in the second half, was a huge boost to the Lions' defense.
Winner: D.J. Reed
How about a winners and losers list with more defenders than players on offense for a change?
Reed was stellar in this contest, recording three solo tackles and a pass breakup. He had a few very key stops in the open field against Packers receivers who were very close to breaking off bigger runs than they were able to, which helped keep the Lions in this game.
Reed is now up to two games in a row where he had multiple positive plays on defense, which is a nice change of pace from the start of this season from the veteran cornerback. Hopefully, Rakestraw's injury isn't too bad, as he and Reed have looked like a great tandem so far.
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