NFL Game Summary - Green Bay at Detroit
(Sunday, November 18th)
Final Score: Green Bay 24, Detroit 20
Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Aaron Rodgers had two touchdown passes,
including the game-winner to Randall Cobb late in the fourth quarter as the
Green Bay Packers took a 24-20 win over the Detroit Lions in an NFC North
battle at Ford Field.
Rodgers passed for 236 yards and an interception on 19-of-27 attempts with
Cobb and Jermichael Finley each catching a score for the Packers (7-3), who
have won five straight.
"We just had to have this win," said Rodgers. "We knew it was a struggle and
we didn't play our best on offense. But when we needed it, everyone came
through and this is a big one."
James Starks had 25 carries for 74 yards while Mason Crosby missed two field
goals, but did make one late for Green Bay, which is 2-0 in division play this
season.
Matthew Stafford had a rough day as he went just 17-for-39 with 266 yards and
a touchdown along with two interceptions and a lost fumble for the Lions
(4-6), who have dropped two straight and fell to 0-4 in division play this
season. Calvin Johnson caught five passes for 143 yards and a touchdown.
"It's tough enough to lose this game without thinking about anything else,"
said Detroit head coach Jim Schwartz. "This is a tough league and the division
is even tougher. We had our chances today, but just couldn't pull it out."
Green Bay began the winning drive at its own 18 and Starks got it started with
an 11-yard run. Two plays later, Finley caught a pass near the right sideline,
broke a tackle and raced 40 yards to the Detroit 31. From the 22 on 3rd-and-1,
Rodgers lofted a pass to the left side of the end zone and Cobb came down with
the ball for a 21-20 lead with 1:55 to play.
Four straight incompletions from Detroit turned the ball over and Crosby
sealed the win with his 39-yard field goal with 19 seconds to play as Detroit
had burned all its timeouts.
Detroit's third touch of the game came after stopping Green Bay on a 4th-and-4
at the Lions' 31. Facing a 3rd-and-12, Stafford went deep and Johnson came
down with a 53-yard catch. On 3rd-and-goal at the 3-yard line, Stafford was
sacked for a 9-yard loss and a 30-yard field goal from Jason Hanson gave the
Lions a 3-0 lead with 4:24 to play in the first quarter.
Green Bay responded with its most impressive drive of the game. Converting
three third downs on the 11-play, 81-yard drive, the team got into the end
zone when Rodgers found Finley over the middle and he took it in on a 20-yard
score for a 7-3 lead just over a minute into the second quarter.
The Lions came right back with a 74-yard drive that ended in the end zone.
Johnson caught passes of 21 and 14 yards during the march while Will Heller
had a 17-yard catch. Mikel Leshoure's 10-yard run down to the 1-yard line set
up a 1st-and-goal and he stretched it over on the next play for a 10-7 lead
with 8:06 left in the half.
After Green Bay punted, Stafford and Rodgers exchanged interceptions, before
Stafford fumbled to give the Packers the ball at the Lions' 42 with under a
minute to play. Detroit's defense held and forced a 50-yard field goal attempt
from Crosby. He missed his first try to the right, but Detroit called a
timeout prior to the snap. It didn't matter, though, as he missed his second
attempt to the left as time expired in the half.
Following a short possession from Green Bay to start the second half, Detroit
got the ball across midfield. A pass to Tony Scheffler, though, was tipped
by the tight end into the hands of M.D. Jennings, who raced down the right
sideline and into the end zone on a 72-yard score for a 14-10 lead.
"It felt good to have that," said Jennings. "You have to go out there every
day and do your job because everyone is counting on you out there."
The Lions, though, came right back down the field to regain the lead. A 12-
yard catch by Brandon Pettigrew on third down moved the chains and got the
ball across midfield. Later from the 25 following an offensive holding call,
Stafford whipped the ball down the middle where Johnson caught it near the
goal line and took it in for a 17-14 lead with 3:01 to play in the third.
Crosby missed his second field goal of the game on Green Bay's second
possession of the fourth quarter, a 38-yard attempt he pushed to the left.
Detroit got into the Green Bay red zone on its ensuing touch, but was only
able to come away with three points after a 27-yard field goal from Hanson
with 4:25 to play.
Game Notes
Green Bay has won 21 of the last 24 games against Detroit ... Detroit has
allowed seven return touchdowns this season ... Mason has made just six of his
last 13 field goal attempts ... Cobb finished with nine catches for 74 yards,
two carries for 19 yards and four kick returns for 71 yards. His nine catches
were a career-high ... It was the first career TD for Jennings ... Leshoure
finished the game with 19 carries for 84 yards ... Johnson leads the NFL with
1,127 receiving yards, but has just three touchdowns on the season ... Detroit
hosts Houston on Thanksgiving ... Green Bay plays in New York against the
Giants next Sunday.
11/18 20:46:27 ET

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