Packers @ Lions
Final Score: Lions 34, Packers 31
Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1.bsky.social on Bluesky)
A mouthwatering Thursday Night Football matchup to start a defining week in the NFL and the road to the fantasy playoffs saw the Green Bay Packers travel to the Detroit Lions in a monster NFC North encounter. The reality was far from expectations in the first half, with both offenses struggling to find rhythm and production thanks to both defenses showing up with a hard-hitting style. The Lions only scored their first-quarter touchdown because of a very contentious illegal contact call on third down. The Packers themselves benefitted from multiple penalties from Detroit on their own touchdown drive late in the half. It was a scrappy, tedious game to watch and not the offensive spectacle we all hoped for. Jared Goff marched his Lions down the field in an incisive 12-play, 70-yard touchdown drive at the end of the half to give his team a 10-point lead and give Jordan Love and the Packers no time to respond.
The second half was the heavyweight bout we expected, with both quarterbacks exchanging blows as the offenses took over to the tune of five touchdowns and two field goals. It was electric, it was exciting, and it was the kind of football that smelled of the playoffs. Goff was mercurial; Love was enigmatic. The game was magnificent. The Lions controlled the ball masterfully in the final five minutes and ran the clock down for Jake Bates to kick the winning field goal as time expired. Advantage Lions in the NFC North!
Three Up
- Jared Goff – Goff stepped up his game after throwing an uncharacteristic pick to lead his team to a win with three touchdown passes to satisfy his fantasy managers, too.
- Josh Jacobs – a three-touchdown night for the prolific workhorse back to send fantasy managers into a fever dream to start their weekend.
- Tim Patrick – Who knew? Fantasy managers were left crying as Patrick was the only Lions wideout to catch a touchdown pass in this game.
Three Down
- Jayden Reed – one target! One target! It was the first time the wideout failed to catch a ball this season. Ouch!
- Jordan Love – was this an audition for the playoffs? If so, Love needs to be more aggressive and activate all aspects of his offense.
- Amon-Ra St. Brown – there is obviously no long-term worry here, but if you were expecting a nice night from the star wideout for fantasy, you will be very disappointed.
Green Bay Packers
Quarterback
Jordan Love: 12/20, 206 Yards, TD, Sack | 4 Carries, 23 Yards
A dismal first half was enough to condemn Green Bay to a narrow loss, and Love must take some responsibility as he seemed to struggle with his pocket movement throughout a first half in which he attempted just seven passes. An improvement in play-calling and a clear statement of aggression after the break led to the Packers making a game of it, but the fact Love could not get his primary receiver Reed into the contest is a big worry as the fantasy playoffs approach. This was Love’s second-least number of passing attempts in a game, and his inability to hit paydirt on third down in the red zone late in the fourth quarter handed the ball back to Detroit with an opportunity to win, which they did.
Notes
- Struggled to the tune of only three completed passes for 31 at halftime as the Packers ran 21 plays to the Packers’ 37. Love also saw a catch-and-run into Lions territory coughed up by Christian Watson at a crucial point in the half. There was little for Love to work with as the Lions’ defense played tight, effective man coverage on his receivers.
- Came out slinging in the second half and looked like he had a point to prove – Love connected with Watson deep before firing a dart over the middle to Kraft for a touchdown in an electric response to a dismal first half. It was too little too late as the Lions adapted and ran out the clock.
Running Back
Josh Jacobs: 18 Carries, 66 Yards, 3 TD
Continuing in his workhorse fashion, Jacobs was the lone, bright offensive option for the Packers in the first half as he averaged 5.4 yards per carry and hit the endzone with a goal line run after a defensive pass interference penalty on third down prolonged the Packers’ final drive before the half. Jacobs again benefitted from a Detroit indiscretion as he gave Green Bay the lead with a determined 6-yard touchdown run up the middle after an interception at the start of the third quarter. Another Detroit turnover, this time a failed 4th down attempt at their own 30-yard line, gave Jacobs a chance at his hat-trick, something he did with another hard run between the tackles at the start of the fourth quarter. Fantasy heaven for managers everywhere. Although the yardage was modest, Jacobs was the focal point in a couple of short field position drives. A star performance from one of the league’s premier running backs.
Emanuel Wilson: 1 Carry, 7 Yards
Chris Brooks: 1 Carry, 3 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Christian Watson: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 114 Yards, Fumble (Lost)
Coming into the game with only 22 catches on the season and without a touchdown since Week 1, Watson got a chance to make an impact early with a 20-yard catch and run down the right sideline. Watson tried to hurdle the oncoming defender and saw the ball knocked out of his hand as he jumped, the ball rolling away and into the arms of Lions linebacker David Long Jr. for a turnover. Watson made up for his indiscretion with a perfectly run deep route on the opening possession of the second half, in which he burned his man and streaked away downfield to haul in a bomb from Love for 59 yards, kickstarting the Packers’ offense in doing so. Watson looked like he might go all the way, but his lack of straight-line speed hurt him when it mattered most. Despite the Packers scoring on that drive, Watson was again held without a passing score. The 100+ yards was his second such total in four weeks, so there is a trending up angle here to Watson’s season.
Dontayvion Wicks: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 49 Yards
Another mediocre performance from Wicks, whose early season offensive explosion has tempered significantly to an alarming barren spell since Week 7. Wicks caught short balls mainly, but he did brilliantly to hold on to a ball to convert a third down on a touchdown drive in this game, taking a monster hit in the process that kept him down for a while. He returned to the game shortly after, however.
Tucker Kraft: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 41 Yards, TD
On Kraft’s second target of the first half, his quarterback overthrew him on a run out of the flat that, if delivered accurately, would have resulted in a walk-in touchdown. The guilt from Love probably led to him targeting Kraft on third down in the red zone on the opening drive of the second half. The big-bodied tight end laying out for his quarterback under heavy contact to haul in a 12-yard score with a terrific catch. Kraft has been a handy tight end for fantasy purposes, and this type of performance shows why.
Ben Sims: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards
Jayden Reed: 1 Target
Reed has been prolific over the last six weeks for Green Bay, but he was held without a catch in the first half as Love only completed three passes. He did draw a defensive pass interference call on a deep pass on third down on the opening offensive drive. However, it went nowhere, and the Packers punted a few plays later. He wasn’t targeted in the second half despite Love passing the ball more and the Packers enjoying more possession. Yikes!
Detroit Lions
Quarterback
Jared Goff: 32/41, 283 Yards, 3 TD, INT, Sack | 4 Carries, 7 Yards
Goff recovered from a poor throw that led to an interception early in the second half to mastermind a Lions comeback to lead his team to victory thanks to three touchdown passes, two of which were excellent throws in key situations. Goff connected with No.3 wideout Tim Patrick for two touchdowns and then unleashed two elite clutch throws during the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter to ensure his team remained the NFC favorites for the Super Bowl. His 22.02 fantasy points (in Yahoo!) is his fourth-best fantasy score of the season, and it came at a perfect time for fantasy managers.
Notes
- Bookended a scrappy first half with two excellent touchdown drives that highlighted his ability to spread the ball around the offensive and show elite decision-making at key times in the series. Goff showed great pocket awareness, and the touchdown pass to running back Jahmyr Gibbs on fourth down at the end of the first half highlighted the command he has not only of the offense but of the field as plays develop.
- On the opening drive of the second half, Goff lazily forced a throw over the middle to Tim Patrick, and Keisan Nixon jumped in front of the wideout to pick the ball off and take it back to the Lions’ 16-yard line. A couple of plays later, the Packers punched the ball in, and suddenly, a 10-point halftime lead became a 4-point disadvantage within five minutes of the restart.
Running Back
David Montgomery: 14 Carries, 51 Yards, TD | 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 33 Yards
As per usual, Montgomery led the backfield in touches and showed off his power-running metal with several tough inside runs that pierced the heart of the Green Bay defense. His goal-line run for a touchdown on the opening drive of the game was a little fortuitous as it only came about because of a soft defensive penalty on a passing play on third down. Fantasy managers won’t mind, however. Montgomery was useful out of the backfield, too, catching all his five targets for 33 yards, season highs all around. He took a backseat to Gibbs in the second half as the Lions had to come from behind and preferred the more versatile Gibbs in the formation. Still, a productive night for the back, who now has 12 rushing touchdowns on the season.
Jahmyr Gibbs: 15 Carries, 43 Yards | 6 Targets, 6 Receptions, 30 Yards, TD
Gibbs was stuffed on his carries on the ground in the first half, mustering just 14 yards on eight carries, but his saving grace was a 2-yard touchdown pass from Goff on the final offensive play of the first half for Detroit to give his team a 10-point lead. He broke off a nice 20-yard outside zone run down the right touchline on the Lions’ touchdown drive in the third quarter – Gibbs touched the ball five times on the drive and gave the offense a noticeable spark in flair. He was on the field more for the second half as the Lions went into comeback mode, but his 43 yards was his worst rushing total since his 40 yards in Week 1. The touchdown really saved his fantasy night. The beautiful thing about Ben Johnson‘s offense is everyone gets a slice of cake.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jameson Williams: 8 Targets, 5 Receptions, 80 Yards
The most effective receiver in the offense in this contest, Jameson Williams, led the team with eight targets. Williams connected with Goff on deep balls on three separate occasions and had more joy in contest situations than teammate St. Brown. The worry is the big play ability – he has only one score in the last five games since returning from suspension. Fantasy managers likely drafted Williams as a WR3, so his production overall has been a bonus.
Sam LaPorta: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 54 Yards
The exciting sophomore tight end has failed to reach the heights of his rookie season, but he is still an integral part of this offense. His seven targets were a season-high, and two of his five grabs were impressive contested catches. After two touchdowns last week near the goalline, fantasy managers would have hoped for more, but it has been a bit like that this season. He’s either brought the volume or the touchdown, not really both together.
Tim Patrick: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 43 Yards, 2 TD
Where did this come from? The most impactful receiver on the field for either team, the former Denver man’s two-score breakout game was a complete surprise and helped absolutely nobody in the fantasy sphere. Patrick is a great locker room guy, and you could see how happy his teammates were for him. He’s battled injuries, and this could mark the start of a more consistent role going forward.
Amon-Ra St. Brown: 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 43 Yards | 1 Carry, 10 Yards
A disappointing night for the star Lions receiver, who has now been held to under 57 receiving yards in four of his previous five meetings with the Packers. You could say they have his number, but he was also well-marshaled by the Packers’ secondary in tight coverage. Let’s just hope this is a blip before the fantasy playoffs begin. We forgive you, Amon-Ra.
Brock Wright: 1 Target