5 biggest takeaways from Detroit Lions Week 4 win over Green Bay Packers

If there was ever a game where the final score was not very indicative of what took place on the field, it was the Detroit Lions' 34-20 win over the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night. The Lions jumped out to a 27-3 halftime lead, outgaining the Packers 284-20.

The Packers second touchdown came after a 44-yard completion when the third quarter clock was clearly expired. Green Bay kicked a meaningless field goal with less than three minutes to go to make the final margin 14 points, as head coach Matt LaFleur continues to struggle with scoring math and what makes sense to do when time and number of possessions is a factor (see 2021 NFC Championship Game). But LaFleur was so mad about his team being beaten as soundly as it was, at halftime and after the game, that perhaps his brain wasn't functioning fully. Losing by 14 instead of 17 did not matter, and if did matter in the locker room he has a soft team.

But that is the effect this Lions' team is having on opponents. They close out opponents with decisive fourth quarter drives, imposing their will while taking the other team's will away. The Packers probably thought they had a chance when the score was 27-17...then the Lions went on a 14-play, 75-yard drive, taking up close to nine minutes of the fourth quarter. The drive being finished by David Montgomery's third touchdown of the game was absolutely appropriate.

After the big win over the Packers, here are the five biggest takeaways for the Lions from Week 4.

5 biggest takeaways for the Detroit Lions from Week 4 win over the Green Bay Packers

5. Fortune smiled big on the Lions in the 2022 NFL Draft

Sitting with the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft, the Detroit Lions were at the mercy of what the Jacksonville Jaguars did at No. 1 overall. The idea of Aidan Hutchinson, a Michigan native and University of Michigan alum, being there with the second pick was enticing but not entirely realistic.

As we know, the Jaguars went with the upside pick of Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker. The league office was not thrilled when the Lions turned in their card with Hutchinson's name on it so quickly, not that they cared-as reflected by what Dan Campbell said.

"I don’t think we overthought it. Brad said, ‘Turn it in, let’s go,’” Campbell said. “Because we knew we were good, ‘Let’s go, he’s our guy.’ We weren’t going to wait around, and we’re not going to do the whole dog-and-pony show. We got our guy and we turned the card in. …”

Hutchinson has been everything the Lions could've hoped he'd be, leading rookies in sacks and pressures last season on his way to finishing runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year. He's off to a great start this year, leading the NFL with 28 pressures (per Pro Football Focus, albeit having played four games now). The proverbial sack dam has broken for the team and himself the last two games, with 12 as a team and Hutchinson tallying 3.5 of them over that span.

Meanwhile, Walker carries the perception of upside with little in the way of results to this point.

The Lions' draft history is littered with misses and "could haves." In 2022, fortune smiled when Hutchinson fell into their laps.

4. A new Jared Goff

I've been called a Goff hater, and I still think he's not the guy who will ultimately take the Lions to their highest potential. An early interception on Thursday night could have been a pre-cursor to a rough game. But Goff rebounded, threw a touchdown pass right after and other than the pick he played a clean game.

After the game Goff called out Amazon analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick for calling him a "poor man's Matt Ryan" during the pregame show. It's not the biggest diss to be called a "poor man" to a former league MVP, but Goff made sure Fitzpatrick knew what he said did not go unnoticed.

On that note......

3. These guys have big swagger

On Thursday night it started with Benito Jones' pre-game outfit, as he went full cowboy (hat, overalls, boots) in deference to that he raises cows and owns a trucking company.

Jones explained his fashion choice to Ben Raven of MLive after the game.

"I just put it on. What’s wrong with it?” Jones said. “Somebody told me they bet me I wouldn’t do it. But it was just a little simple bet, wasn’t no money involved."

Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had a beer poured on him after he scored the Lions' first touchdown Thursday night. As he addressed that same group of Lions' fans after the game, a disgruntled Packers' fan extended a certain inappropriate finger at him (NSFW), and the "Sun God" blew him a kiss.

The Lions' swagger starts with general manager Brad Holmes, and goes all the way down to the players.

2. Josh Reynolds should not be overtaken by Jameson Williams as the WR2

It was easy to be a little down on Reynolds after he delivered a doughnut on the stat sheet in Week 3. But he made a couple very nice catches on Thursday night, and all 12 of his catches this season have resulted in a first down.

Jameson Williams is now back in the building, able to take part in meetings, etc. before being able to practice before he can play Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens. What kind of a role he'll have, or how patient the Lions will or should be if/when he's got kinks to work out in game day conditions, is in question.

Reynolds has a unique connection with Goff dating back to their time with the Rams. He will occasionally have a dud game, depending on game situation, etc. But there's no way Williams should overtake the "Serpent of Death" (Reynolds' nickname from Dan Campbell) as the Lions' No. 2 wide receiver.

1. David Montgomery is everything the Lions thought he'd be

Everyone (ok, maybe primarily Gibbs' fantasy owners) wants to be up in arms about Jahmyr Gibbs' lack of usage in games David Montgomery has played this season.

But who would have taken Montgomery off the field in Thursday night? He didn't have a bunch of the kind of explosive runs Gibbs can author, but his 32 carries for 121 yards and three touchdowns were a tone-setter for the Lions' offense as they surgically ground down the Packers' defensive will. Behind a good offensive line, we've seen what he can do in full bloom.

Gibbs will get his share of the workload, and certainly he'll see more in future games/in situations more conducive to him seeing more action. The Lions needed to grind clock on Thursday night. Montgomery is built for that.

Thursday night's game was meaningful to Montgomery. He never beat the Packers over four seasons with the Bears, and he was intent on playing after missing Week 3 with a thigh bruise.

Many Lions fans wanted to lament losing Jamaal Williams in free agency. But as some people have said before, Montgomery is a seamless culture fit and he's also a better player than Williams.