Lions 24-14 Packers (November 3, 2024) Game Recap

GREEN BAY, Wis. – – In their first road game of the season, the Detroit Lions showed they can thrive in miserable conditions as they took command of the NFC North.

Kerby Joseph scored on a 27-yard interception return and the Lions turned two fourth downs into touchdowns, continuing one of their best starts in franchise history by beating the Green Bay Packers 24 on a rainy and windy Sunday :14 defeated.

“We’re built for this, man,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “Just because we’re playing indoors doesn’t matter. We can play anywhere. We can play in the snow. We can play in the rain. We can play in the mud. We are built to win.”

The Lions, atop the NFC North, are 7-1 for the first time since 1956. They survived safety Brian Branch's ejection in the second quarter to win at Lambeau Field for the third straight season, the first since a 1986-91 run at Lambeau.

As Jared Goff took a knee to end his last efficient play, the Lions fans in the stands chanted his name.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Goff, who completed his first 11 passes and completed 18 of 22 for 145 yards and a touchdown. “I heard everything. Our fans are great. They came out and showed themselves again. It’s a lot of fun playing for a team that has a traveling fan base.”

In his last six games, Goff has completed 82.8% of his passes and has a passer rating of 140.1, both the best of any six games in NFL history.

Detroit took the lead for good on the first play of the second quarter when Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 3-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. Jahmyr Gibbs capped the first drive of the second half with a 15-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1, extending the Lions' lead to 24-3.

Green Bay's Jordan Love went 23 of 39 for 273 yards with one interception, a week after he left with a groin strain in the third quarter of a 30-27 win at Jacksonville. Jayden Reed had five catches for 113 yards and Josh Jacobs rushed for 95 yards.

The Packers (6-3) outgained the Lions by 411 yards to 261, but missed several opportunities. Green Bay drove inside Detroit's 35-yard line on three possessions without scoring. The Packers' four trips to the red zone resulted in a touchdown and two field goals.

“They played a clean game, a lot cleaner than we did,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “I was disappointed with the number of penalties and self-inflicted wounds we had. You can’t do that against a really good football team.”

The game turned around late in the second quarter, with Detroit's starting players playing important roles.

Green Bay was trailing 7-3 when Branch was ejected for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Packers receiver Bo Melton during a pass error near the Green Bay sideline. Branch also incurred an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for gesturing toward the Lambeau Field crowd, giving the Packers a first down at the Detroit 32 instead of dealing with third-and-20 from their own 38.

But the Packers failed to capitalize on the situation. Their drive ended with Brandon McManus sending a 46-yard field goal attempt wide left. Detroit marched down the field on its next series and extended its lead to 10-3 on Jake Bates' 27-yard field goal.

With less than a minute left in the half, Green Bay got the ball back. On the second-and-2 of Green Bay's 38, Love rolled right under pressure. Love's pass was intended for Jacobs but went straight to Joseph, who caught it with his arms outstretched and raced down the Lions' sideline into the end zone.

“I didn’t see him when I threw it,” Love said. “I just saw Josh trying to get out of there. The ball didn’t land where I wanted it to.”

Joseph's pick-6 was his sixth interception of the season and tied Green Bay's Xavier McKinney for the NFL lead. He intercepted a pass in five of Detroit's last six games and became the first safety to intercept at least 14 passes in his first three seasons since Hall of Famer Ed Reed did so from 2002-04.

“One thing I always tell myself: I strive for a gold jacket,” Joseph said. “I always tell the guys, 'What do you want your legacy to be?' Every time I’m out there, I show on tape that this is who I am and this is who I’m going to be.”

Joseph had four interceptions against the Packers.

Green Bay opened the game with a 14-play drive that lasted nearly eight minutes but settled for a 30-yard field goal by McManus.

Then the Lions scored the next 24 points and took control.

“We’re supposed to be the Dome team that can’t play outside,” Goff said. “We should be the team that can only win in one direction. I think we showed a few times that we can win in different ways. We are chameleons.”

Injuries

Packers DL Colby Wooden and Lions LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin suffered shoulder injuries. The Packers played without CB Jaire Alexander (knee), S Evan Williams (hamstring) and C Josh Myers (wrist). The Lions did not have DL Josh Paschal (illness) or LB Malcolm Rodriguez (ankle).

Next

Lions: Next Sunday night at Houston.

Packers: After a bye on November 17th at Chicago.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL