Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions
Final Score: Packers 31, Lions 24
Writer: Steven Pintado (@coachstevenp)
The classic Packers vs. Lions Thanksgiving matchup delivered another fun holiday-opening game. The Packers built a big lead early, but the Lions kept clawing back to keep it within one score for most of the second half. Ultimately, it came down to which offense could hit the bigger plays — and Green Bay answered that call.
Jordan Love was dialed in, and the Packers’ passing game was the difference. Dontayvion Wicks and Christian Watson both stepped up with explosive performances, consistently winning downfield and keeping Detroit’s defense off balance.
On the Lions’ side, the offense never found its usual rhythm. The run game couldn’t get going early, and the loss of Amon-Ra St. Brown completely shifted their identity. If not for Jameson Williams providing much-needed energy and chunk plays, Detroit would have struggled to move the ball at all.
In the end, the Packers made the timely plays while Detroit couldn’t, allowing Green Bay to walk away with the win and inch closer to regaining control of the NFC North.
Four Up
- Jameson Williams — Williams stepped up in a big way after the loss of Amon-Ra St.Brown and put up one of his biggest games of the season.
- Christian Watson — Led the team in targets and had one of the biggest plays of the entire game, which would lead to a touchdown.
- Jordan Love — It’s been a while since we’ve confidently said Love is UP, but he put up an outstanding passing performance, throwing for four touchdowns.
- Dontayvion Wicks — Had one of his biggest games of the season. He seemed to get everything that went his way and produced with the ball in his hands.
Two Down
- Amon-Ra St. Brown — Hate to see an injury knock you out so early in the game, but St. Brown could be sidelined for a few weeks.
- Romeo Doubs — Yes, Doubs caught a touchdown, but he was third in targets as the supposed WR1 in the offense and almost had a costly fumble in the red zone.
Green Bay Packers
Quarterback
Jordan Love: 18/30, 234 Yards, 4 TDs | 5 Carries, 4 Yards
Jordan Love delivered one of his best performances of the season.While he remained inconsistent at times, when he was on, he looked every bit like an NFL star. Love showed excellent pocket presence, keeping his eyes downfield and navigating pressure with control. When he needed to escape, he displayed the ability to extend plays and hit receivers on the move.
Love finished with four touchdown passes, and two were legitimately high-level throws. His tight-window sideline strike to Dontayvion Wicks and the deep bomb to Christian Watson were both elite-level placements. He looked decisive throughout the game and consistently unleashed aggressive, accurate throws downfield.
However, the inconsistencies still showed up. On one play, Love escaped the pocket and had a wide-open Bo Melton down the sideline, but came up short with an underthrown ball. There were also a couple of moments where his ball placement limited his receivers — most notably a potential Watson touchdown that was stopped because Love kept throwing the ball too low, giving safety Brian Branch the chance to break it up.
We don’t know how often Love is going to put up four touchdowns, but in Week 13, he was fully in rhythm and showcased the ceiling Green Bay hopes he can tap into more consistently.
Running Back
Josh Jacobs: 16 Carries, 83 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 8 Yards
Josh Jacobs returned to action after missing Week 12, and he didn’t look limited by his injury at all. He quickly took control of the backfield, commanding the majority of the touches. Early on, Emanuel Wilson mixed in for a few snaps, but after halftime, it was almost exclusively Jacobs handling the workload.
Jacobs ran well throughout the game, consistently breaking tackles and picking up yards after contact on several plays. His best run came on a 29-yard burst in the first quarter, showing the power and burst we’re used to seeing from him. As usual, his passing-game involvement remained minimal, with just one early target before Green Bay shifted away from throwing to the backs.
Overall, Jacobs looked healthy and productive enough to feel confident about him moving forward. Fantasy managers may feel disappointed with his final stat line, but he was essentially robbed of a short 2-yard touchdown when the Packers opted to throw for the score instead.
Emanuel Wilson: 4 Carries, 14 Yards
Chris Brooks: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 9 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Dontayvion Wicks: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 94 Yards, 2 TDs | 1 Carry, 6 Yards
The surprise star of the Packers’ offense was Dontayvion Wicks, who led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns. Wicks played his best game of the season against the Lions and looked completely in sync with Love on nearly every target. Whether it was a quick screen or a deep shot, Wicks consistently came up with the catch.
His first touchdown came on a beautiful — though somewhat questionablev— sideline grab in the back corner of the end zone. It looked like he may not have had full control, but the officials ruled it a touchdown, and it stood. That play also came on a fourth down, making it even more impressive. Throughout the game, Wicks repeatedly found holes in the middle of the field, taking advantage of Detroit leaving the seam wide open.
His second touchdown was a simple 2-yard out route near the boundary, where he secured the ball and dove across the goal line. But his most impressive play of the game was the late fourth-quarter, game-sealing catch over Branch — a strong, contested grab.
It’s always tough to project Wicks’ consistency, as we’ve seen him flash like this before only to fade the following week. That could easily happen again if Matthew Golden and Jayden Reed return next week. But for Week 13, Wicks looked like a difference-maker.
Christian Watson: 10 Targets, 4 Receptions, 80 Yards, TD | 1 Carry, 3 Yards
Christian Watson led the Packers in targets with 10, and while he only finished with four receptions, the box score doesn’t tell the full story. At least four of those missed targets were legitimate opportunities that could have gone in his favor.
When he did connect, Watson made several impressive plays. He opened the game with a strong, contested grab on a curl route and later made a smooth sideline extension catch, showing great body control. His best moment came on a 51-yard touchdown, where he stacked the defender deep, tracked the ball perfectly, and secured it for the long score. Even with the inconsistent chemistry at times, Love continued to trust Watson to make plays downfield.
There were several other plays where Watson was close to major production but didn’t come away with the catch. He could have had another touchdown before Wicks scored — Love slightly underthrew the pass as Watson was drifting back toward the end zone, and placing it further outside might have resulted in a score. A similar situation happened later on another deep shot that was broken up near the end zone. Watson also had a third-quarter drop on a slightly contested target that he realistically could have hauled in.
If a few of those plays had gone the other way, Watson’s stat line could have been massive. Still, he continues to show more WR1 traits each week, and it’s clear the Packers — and Love — respect his talent when he’s on the field. Expect his role to remain strong moving forward.
Romeo Doubs : 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 20 Yards, TD
Romeo Doubs had an overall average performance despite finding the end zone. While he has often been penciled in as the presumed WR1 in this offense, he finished third in targets, which isn’t an ideal sign for his standing in the pecking order. His touchdown came on a quick out route near the sideline, where he secured the pass cleanly and turned upfield for the score.
For most of the game, Doubs functioned as the short-area option for Love, frequently used when the Packers needed a quick 5 or 6 yards. He did have a near-costly moment in the red zone when he caught a short slant and the defender popped the ball loose, but one of the Packers’ offensive linemen fortunately recovered it.
Doubs continues to profile as a very average receiver — solid enough to contribute, but rarely offering consistent upside. His role feels safe, but his ceiling remains limited compared to the other playmakers in the offense.
Luke Musgrave: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 23 Yards
Bo Melton: 1 Target | 2 Carries, 15 Yards
Josh Whyle: 1 Target
John FitzPatrick: 1 Target
Malik Heath: 1 Target
Detroit Lions
Quarterback
Jared Goff: 20/26, 256 Yards, 2 TDs | 1 Carry, 24 Yards
Veteran quarterback Jared Goff played a solid game against the Packers. After opening 0-for-3 on his first few throws, he settled in and finished 20-of-23 the rest of the way. It didn’t take long for Goff to adjust to losing his top receiver early in the game, and he leaned heavily on Jameson Williams while working the middle of the field with precision.
Goff threw for two touchdowns, including a beautifully placed 17-yard strike to Isaac TeSlaa — a perfect touch throw that highlighted his rhythm once the offense stabilized. Whenever Goff had adequate protection, he looked poised and efficient, delivering accurate passes and keeping Detroit’s offense afloat.
Unfortunately, the early inconsistency on the first few drives put Detroit in a hole, forcing the Lions to play catchup for most of the afternoon. Still, Goff handled the situation well given the circumstances and played as clean a game as he could once he found his footing.
The big question moving forward is whether Goff can sustain this level of play over multiple games if Amon-Ra St. Brown is forced to miss time.
Running Back
Jahmyr Gibbs: 20 Carries, 68 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 18 Yards
Jahmyr Gibbs delivered a very average performance against the Packers, as Green Bay’s defense did an excellent job eliminating his big-play potential. His best run of the day was an 18-yard burst in the second quarter, but outside of that, Gibbs was consistently bottled up. He fought hard — breaking tackles and making defenders miss — but he was often taken down before he could turn short gains into explosive plays.
The only times Gibbs found real success were on plays that bounced him outside into more open space. Surprisingly, his involvement in the passing game was minimal despite the Lions playing from behind for much of the afternoon. With St. Brown leaving early, you’d expect Gibbs to pick up a larger receiving role, but he finished with just four targets. That seems more like a coaching issue than a player issue, especially since Gibbs is one of Detroit’s most dynamic weapons in space. He did have a drop on a screen pass, but otherwise he was fine — just underutilized.
In the end, Gibbs played decently, but it was obvious that the Packers came in with a clear plan: Make the Lions beat them without Gibbs creating explosive plays.
David Mongtomery: 8 Carries, 32 Yards, TD | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 16 Yards | 0/1
David Montgomery, operating as the 1B in the Lions’ backfield, had a decent performance as the change-of-pace option behind Gibbs. Montgomery finished with 10 touches and appeared to be used in specific drives and situational packages. He flashed in the late third quarter with back-to-back chunk plays of 14 and 15 yards on a series where Gibbs primarily operated as a receiver.
His touchdown came on a red-zone sequence where Detroit fed him the ball three straight times until he finally powered his way into the end zone. At one point, the Lions even dialed up a wildcat look for him, which resulted in a crowded, off-target pass into the end zone — a reminder that some experimentation doesn’t always pay off.
Overall, Montgomery was solid, but it’s becoming clear that he’s transitioning more into a touchdown-dependent complementary back rather than a plug-and-play RB2. Without a score, he risks delivering more flex-level production than reliable weekly upside.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jameson Williams : 10 Targets, 7 Receptions, 144 Yards, TDs | 1 Carry, -5 Yards
One of the Lions’ biggest performances of the day came from Jameson Williams. After starting 0-for-2 on his first two targets — both off-target throws from Goff — Williams exploded once St. Brown left the game with an injury. From that point forward, Williams went 8-for-9 for 144 yards and a touchdown, taking over as the clear focal point of the offense.
Williams consistently found open space across the middle of the field, catching passes in stride and using his elite speed to pile on yards after the catch. Detroit leaned on him heavily in the intermediate areas, and he repeatedly separated from Packers defenders with ease. His touchdown came on a short out route where he spun off a tackle and accelerated up the sideline for the score — a perfect example of how dangerous he can be with the ball in his hands.
While Williams still has consistency issues this season, this performance showed exactly why the Lions value him so highly. If Detroit continues to use him like this — especially with St. Brown expected to miss time — Williams has legitimate borderline WR1 upside. With volume and scheme working in his favor, he proved he can be an elite playmaker when featured.
Amon-Ra St.Brown: 1 Target
Star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown saw just one target in this game before exiting around the 6-minute mark of the first quarter due to an injury. The play appeared to occur on a run where St. Brown was blocking, and a lineman came down on the back of his ankle. Early reports indicate he suffered a low-ankle sprain, which will likely cost him at least a week if not two, though the timeline could extend depending on how the injury progresses once more evaluations come in.
Isaac TeSlaa: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 35 Yards, TD
Rookie receiver Isaac TeSlaa turned in the best game of his young career, finishing with two receptions for 35 yards. His touchdown came on a beautiful 17-yard grab, where Goff fit the ball into tight coverage and TeSlaa held on through contact for the score. His second catch was a strong grab on a diving play, showing good separation and body control.
With St. Brown expected to miss some time, TeSlaa could see his role expand. He’s shown reliable hands and the ability to win in short and intermediate areas — traits that may earn him more opportunities in the weeks ahead.
Tom Kennedy: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 36 Yards
Ross Dwelley: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
Anthony Firkser: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards