Here’s What Gives Packers Hope After Losing to Lions
Yes, the Green Bay Packers lost – again – to the Detroit Lions. However, the second-half dominance of the Jordan Love-led offense should create optimism for a potential playoff rematch.
The Detroit Lions are the best team in the NFC, if not the NFL. On Thursday night, even with 62 percent of their sacks and 69 percent of their quarterback hits on the sideline because of injuries, Detroit beat the Green Bay Packers 34-31.
The Packers probably are going to rebound from this loss to qualify for the playoffs. The Packers almost always reach the postseason, though, so who cares? The only thing that matters – the only thing that should matter, anyway – is the Super Bowl.
After getting swept by the Lions for the second time in three years, is there any reason to believe the Packers can beat the Lions in a potential third matchup?
Yes, and that reason is Jordan Love, who so thoroughly dominated the second half that Lions coach Dan Campbell turned down a go-ahead field goal with about 40 seconds to go in favor of going for the first down on fourth-and-1 so they could win the game on the final play.
After a woeful first half in which 20 of the 31 passing yards came on a play that ended with a fumble, Love lit up Motown during the second half.
Love was 9-of-13 passing for 175 yards and one touchdown, good for a passer rating of 137.5. He made explosive plays. He made clutch throws. He wasn’t close to making a big mistake, despite the Lions’ pressure and their penchant for creating turnovers.
The Packers got the ball five times in the second half. They scored three touchdowns and kicked one field goal (that perhaps should have been a touchdown). That’s 24 points in five possessions against a defense that entered the game ranked second in the NFL in points allowed.
Yes, that defense had been hammered by injuries, but the Lions’ secondary was intact, the Packers didn’t have Romeo Doubs and Love and the Packers dominated the final 30 minutes.
“I feel like we’re a very good offense, a very explosive offense and there’s going to be games where you’ve got to put up a lot of points,” Love said. “I think it just goes to show how dialed in you’ve got to be all game – how you’ve got to be able to start fast and execute early on and be able to put up those points that we weren’t putting up in that first half.
“So, second half, I liked the way we responded, but it just wasn’t good enough.”
The 31 points allowed was the most by Detroit all season. Their 24 points allowed in the second half was more than the full-game total in 10 of their first 12 games.
Even with the slow start, Love’s 111.7 passer rating was the highest against Detroit all season. So were his yards per attempt (9.5 net, including the sack) and yards per completion (17.2).
“They’re a really good offense, but I think we’re a really good offense, too,” Love said. “I think we’re an offense that knows we’re going to put up points. Obviously, it just was a slow start, couldn’t get going, and obviously was down early. But turned it around and started hitting on some of those explosive plays.
“I think we’re right there with them as an explosive offense.”
The Packers aren’t into moral victories. Nor should they.
But their second-half performance shows they’ve got more than a puncher’s chance if they have to return to Detroit in the playoffs.
The offense blocked out the noise and thrived. They rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit. When Detroit answered to take leads to 24-21 and 31-28, the Packers responded.
That’s championship-level stuff.
So, no, the Packers didn’t win in Detroit on Thursday. But they showed – at least on offense – that they can win in Detroit.
“I think we can beat anyone in the NFL,” center Josh Myers.
The Packers will have to earn that rematch, but the team should return to work on Monday confident that they can score enough points to beat the mighty Lions.
“Yeah, for sure,” tight end Tucker Kraft said. “Our goal is to continue to play and execute at a high level, knowing that each and every one of these games we have to win down the road if we want to be where we want to be, which is in February hoisting that f—ing Lombardi Trophy.
“The important part is being where our feet are, staying present, staying in the moment and just tackling everything one moment at a time. We’re a good team. We’ve got so much talent on this team. It starts with our practice habits and then it rolls over to what we do when we’re not in the building. We just have to continue to play together.”