The Green Bay Packers improved to 8-3-1 and 3-0 against the NFC North with a commanding 31-24 win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. Matt LaFleur’s led 10-0 early, held three different 10-point leads over the course of the game and made the big plays late to finish off the seven-point win.
Here’s what went right, what went wrong and what it means for the Packers moving forward:
What went right
— The Packers won the game on fourth down. Green Bay was 3-for-3, including a pair of touchdowns and the game-ending conversion. Detroit was 0-for-2, including a failure on the edge of the red zone in the fourth quarter. Clutch plays made by the Packers was the winning factor.
— Jordan Love and Micah Parsons were dominant, game-changing players. Love threw four touchdown passes and was incredibly clutch on fourth down, while Parsons consistently impacted drives, finishing with 2.5 sacks, four quarterback hits, 10 pressures and a fourth down run stop. The team’s best and most highly paid players led the way in a big game and in a playoff-like environment.
— The Packers improved to 7-0 when not committing a turnover this season.
— The defense didn’t get a turnover, but a fourth down stop is just as good as a takeaway. Let’s give the Packers a 2-0 win in the turnover department.
— The Packers won the pass-rushing battle. Jeff Hafley’s defense produced seven quarterback hits and three sacks. Jordan Love wasn’t sacked and was hit only two times.
— The Packers were 2-for-2 scoring touchdowns in the red zone, didn’t give up a sack, committed only three penalties and didn’t turn the ball over.
— Without Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, Savion Williams and Tucker Kraft, the Packers got 100 total yards and two scores from Dontayvion Wicks and four catches for 80 yards and a 51-yard touchdown from Christian Watson. Two great man coverage beaters in Wicks and Watson gave the Packers the key to unlock the Lions’ aggressive coverage.
— Don’t forget Rasheed Walker’s fumble recovery in the red zone. Romeo Doubs’ fumble could have been a disaster, but Walker followed the path and made a comfortable recovery with Lions in the area. It saved seven points in a seven-point win.
— Josh Jacobs returned from a knee injury and quietly produced 83 rushing yards. He hit a couple of explosive plays early, and it helped the Packers open up shots down the field later on. Green Bay finished with 125 rushing yards.
— Jahmyr Gibbs made a few explosive plays, but he also turned 23 touches into only 86 total yards. He didn’t score, and the Lions are now 0-5 when he doesn’t score a touchdown this season.
What went wrong
— The Packers gave up too many explosive plays to a Lions offense that didn’t have Sam LaPorta and lost Amon-Ra St. Brown early on. Jameson Williams, the only real weapon at receiver or tight end, caught seven passes for 144 yards and a score.
— Far too many times, the Packers made a negative play to get the Lions behind the sticks and then immediately gave up an explosive play in a get-back-on-track situation.
— Jared Goff completed 20 of 26 passes, averaged 9.8 yards per attempt and had a passer rating of 132.9. This was probably the worst performance from the pass defense since facing Dak Prescott in Week 4.
— The special teams consistently lost the field position battle early on. Brandon McManus kicked touchbacks on three straight kickoffs, and the Packers had an early special teams penalty. Tom Kennedy also had a 21-yard punt return in the first half.
What it means
The Packers got a huge win in both the division and postseason races. Matt LaFleur’s team is 6-2-1 against the conference and 3-0 against the NFC North, including a sweep of the Lions, who are now 7-5 and in big trouble in the playoff picture. The Packers have to be viewed as the favorite to win the NFC North entering the final five games. Just as importantly, the Packers proved they can go on the road, persevere through a bunch of injuries and beat a really good team with a commanding performance on both sides of the ball. Jordan Love was terrific, Matt LaFleur was aggressive and Micah Parsons was dominant. The Packers can beat anyone in the field with those three operating at the levels we saw on Thanksgiving Day. Could this be the performance that lights the fire of a red-hot finish in Green Bay?
What’s next
The Packers will rest up over the weekend, heal some important injuries and then get ready for a visit from the Chicago Bears in Week 14. At 8-3, the Bears are currently the NFC North leaders, but that could change come Friday when Ben Johnson’s team plays the Eagles in Philadelphia. Either way, the Week 14 showdown at Lambeau Field will be huge in the NFC North race. The mini-bye should give the Packers a chance to recharge for the stretch run after playing two games in five games.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Breaking down Packers’ Thanksgiving Day win over Lions: What went right, wrong
Reporting by Zach Kruse, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
