Packers stumble through first half again but this time can't pull off rally in Week 4 loss to Lions
GREEN BAY − In a prime-time showdown among two early-season favorites in the NFC North, only one contender showed up for kickoff.
The Green Bay Packers had a chance to show their rebuild after the Aaron Rodgers era was on an accelerated track. They might be building for the future, but already the Packers emerged with the Detroit Lions in a two-way divisional race. Instead, the NFL’s youngest team was unready for the national spotlight, losing 34-20 to the Lions at Lambeau Field.
The Packers looked frazzled from the start, failing to thwart the Lions’ momentum in a tidal-wave first half. The scoreboard showed 27-3 as both teams entered their halftime locker room, a score that was even closer than the play on the field.
For the second time in two games, the Packers tried to mount a second-half rally. They cut their deficit to 27-17 in the fourth quarter, but unlike Sunday’s epic comeback win against the New Orleans Saints, their hole was too big to climb out. Jordan Love’s second interception of the night on a red-zone pass intended for Romeo Doubs sealed things. Love finished 23-of-36 for 246 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and a 69.9 passer rating, the first multi-interception game of his career.
The loss drops the Packers to 2-2 this season and gives the Lions (3-1) sole possession of first place in the NFC North. The Packers will have a mini-bye this weekend before returning for Monday Night Football at the Las Vegas Raiders next week.
Here are some quick observations from the loss:
As one-sided as it gets, especially in the first half
It’s almost impossible to describe how lopsided the first half was between these two teams. Take any stat you want. The Packers trailed 27-3 on the scoreboard, most importantly. It wasn’t a fluke. They trailed 40-22 in plays. They trailed 284-20 in yards. They trailed 121-7 in rushing yards, 163-13 in passing yards. That’s a deficit of 7.1 to 0.9 yards per play. Jordan Love was sacked four times in the first half. Jared Goff wasn’t sacked once. The Lions led 19:41 to 10:19 in time of possession. They had 15 first downs to the Packers’ three. About the only thing the Packers did better than Sunday’s first half against the New Orleans Saints was actually score, but there’s no coming back from that kind of first half. With a mini-bye upcoming, the Packers will need to figure out how to start games faster.
Jordan Love was under pressure all night
For the first time this season, the Packers offensive line failed to protect its young quarterback. Love was under pressure throughout Thursday’s first half, sacked four times including the final snap when the Packers tried to run a Hail Mary from near midfield. It wasn’t until the second half, when the Packers offensive line kept Love’s jersey clean, that the offense started to mount any momentum. One of the biggest questions with Love entering this season was how he would handle pressure. Love infamously struggled against pressure in his first NFL start at the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021. It isn’t uncommon for quarterbacks – especially young quarterbacks – to struggle with pass rushers in their face, but the Lions defensive front showed Thursday night Love still has work to do while under duress.
Packers playmakers are active, but AWOL
Aaron Jones and Christian Watson were active Thursday night. You wouldn’t have been able to tell in the first half. The Packers opened with a possession at the Lions 16-yard line after safety Rudy Ford intercepted quarterback Jared Goff. Coach Matt LaFleur called three straight pass plays before settling for a field goal. Next possession, LaFleur called three pass plays again. None of Love’s first six dropbacks targeted Watson. The Packers finally ran the ball to start their third drive. AJ Dillon took the handoff, not Jones. It wasn’t until the Packers trailed 24-3 that Jones touched the football for the first time. Watson’s first catch didn’t come until the opening drive of the second half. The Packers top receiver ended that drive with a 1-yard touchdown catch after being left wide open in the end zone. It’s perplexing the Packers didn’t open Thursday’s game playing through the two stars they sat the past few weeks preserving. Neither had enough chances to swing the game.
Keisean Nixon not flipping field position
Late in the first half, rookie Jayden Reed ran onto the field to return a kickoff. It appeared the Packers might be trying to switch things up after watching Keisean Nixon return one too many kickoffs from deep in his end zone. Nixon replaced Reed before the kick and was deep to field all seven Thursday night, the right choice given Nixon was an All-Pro last season. It’s apparent opponents are doing a much better job preventing Nixon from being a factor this season, however. Nixon didn’t return any of his five kickoff attempts past the 30-yard line against the Lions. He’s yet to break a long one this year. Nixon can be explosive in the return game, he returned a fourth-quarter punt 34 yards. But the Packers will have to decide how patient they’ll continue to be with the unit’s inability to flip field position.
Packers defense can’t make a stand
The defining moment of the night came on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with just more than 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Packers had gotten a red-zone stop, but linebacker Quay Walker was called for unsportsmanlike conduct when he jumped over the Lions field-goal protection line, giving the Lions another crack at a touchdown. The Lions handed off four straight times to David Montgomery, who took his fourth carry into the end zone for his third rushing touchdown of the night. The Packers had mounted something of a comeback before that, scoring 14 unanswered points in the second half. A stop would have continued the comeback bid while retaining momentum. It’s a play a defense that wants to be among the NFL’s best needs to make. Instead, the game was put on ice.