In their first outdoor game of the season, the Detroit Lions proved they can succeed even in tough weather, taking charge of the NFC North.
Kerby Joseph scored with a 27-yard interception return, and the Lions converted two fourth downs into touchdowns, continuing one of the best starts in the team’s history with a 24-14 win over the Green Bay Packers on a rainy and windy Sunday.
“We’re built for this, man,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “Just because we play indoors, it 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. That’s just us. We’re built to win.”
The Lions, now leading the NFC North, have a record of 7-1 for the first time since 1956. They managed to win at Lambeau Field for the third year in a row, marking the first time they’ve done that since winning six straight there from 1986-91.
By the time Jared Goff took a knee to end his strong game, Lions fans in the stands were chanting his name.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Goff, who completed his first 11 passes and ended with 18 completions out of 22 attempts for 145 yards and a touchdown. “I heard it all. Our fans are awesome. They came out and showed out again. It’s a lot of fun to play for a team that has a fan base that travels.”
In his last six games, Goff has completed 82.8% of his passes and has a passer rating of 140.1, both of which are the best for any six-game stretch in NFL history.
Detroit took the lead for good on the first play of the second quarter when Goff connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 3-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. Jahmyr Gibbs added a 15-yard rushing touchdown on fourth-and-1 to finish the opening drive of the second half, extending the Lions’ lead to 24-3.
Green Bay’s Jordan Love completed 23 of 39 passes for 273 yards, along with one interception. This was just a week after he left a game against Jacksonville with a groin strain in the third quarter. Jayden Reed caught five passes for 113 yards, and Josh Jacobs rushed for 95 yards.
The Packers (6-3) gained more yards than the Lions, with 411 to Detroit’s 261, but missed several chances to score. Green Bay made it inside Detroit’s 35-yard line three times without scoring. In their four trips to the red zone, they managed just one touchdown and two field goals.
“They played a clean game, much cleaner than we did,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “I was disappointed with the number of penalties and just self-inflicted wounds that we had. You can’t do that against a really good football team.”
The game shifted late in the second quarter, with Detroit’s starting safeties playing key roles. Green Bay was down 7-3 when safety Branch was ejected for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Packers receiver Bo Melton during an incomplete pass near the sideline.
Branch also received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for gesturing to the crowd, which gave the Packers a first down at the Detroit 32 instead of facing third-and-20 from their own 38.
However, the Packers could not take advantage of the opportunity. Their drive ended with Brandon McManus missing a 46-yard field goal attempt to the left. Detroit then drove down the field and increased its lead to 10-3 with a 27-yard field goal from Jake Bates.
Green Bay got the ball back with less than a minute left in the first half. On second-and-2 from their own 38, Love rolled to the right while under pressure. He aimed a pass at Jacobs, but it went straight to Joseph, who caught it and ran down the sideline to score.
“I didn’t see him when I threw it,” Love said. “I just saw Josh kind of trying to get out of there. The ball didn’t go where I wanted it to.”
Joseph’s pick-6 was his sixth interception this season, tying him with Green Bay’s Xavier McKinney for the most in the NFL. He has intercepted a pass in five of the last six games and is the first safety to grab at least 14 interceptions in his first three seasons since Hall of Famer Ed Reed did it from 2002 to 2004.
“One thing I always tell myself is I’m chasing a gold jacket,” Joseph said. “I always tell the boys, ‘What do you want your legacy to be?’ Every time I’m out there, I’m just showing on tape this is who I am and this is who I’m going to be.”
Joseph has four interceptions against the Packers. Green Bay started the game with a 14-play drive that took almost eight minutes but only resulted in a 30-yard field goal by McManus. After that, the Lions scored the next 24 points to take control.
“We’re supposed to be the dome team who can’t play outside,” Goff said. “We’re supposed to be the team that can only win one way. I think we’ve shown a handful of times we can win in multiple ways. We’re chameleons.”
