DETROIT – The Detroit Lions suffered insult to injury, losing the game and the season series, falling 31-24 to the Green Bay Packers in their annual Thanksgiving Day matchup.
The game, which was held on Thursday (Nov. 27), was filled with questionable calls and head-scratching play-calling, and the Lions also lost their best receiver, Amon-Ra St. Brown, early in the matchup.
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The Lions fell to 1-3 in the division, getting swept by the Packers for the first time since 2020 in the 193rd meeting between the franchises and the 23rd on Thanksgiving Day.
Goff completed 20-26 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns, while finding Jameson Williams seven times for 144 yards and one touchdown.
Jahmyr Gibbs carried the ball 20 times for 68 yards, but he had three catches for 18 yards in the loss.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love ate good as he finished his plate, completing 18-30 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns.
Micah Parsons was a menace early and often, finishing with 2.5 sacks.
1st quarter
The Lions won the toss and deferred until the second half, kicking the ball off to the divisional foe, the Packers.
Green Bay drew a holding call on the return, pushing them back 15 yards to start the opening drive on Thanksgiving Day.
Running back Josh Jacobs gained six yards to open the drive before quarterback Jordan Love found Christian Watson for an 18-yard gain.
With a fresh set of downs, Jacobs rushed the ball for another gain of four yards before Love hit Dontayvion Wicks on a swing route for a gain of five, setting up a third down and one scenario.
On third and short, Jacobs gained a chunk run of 12 yards.
Jacobs toted the rock again, eluding a negative play for a gain of one yard.
Wide receiver Romeo Doubs joined the party, catching an eight-yard pass to set up third and one.
Packers backup running back Emanual Wilson gained four yards to continue the drive.
Love eluded a pack of hungry Lions and missed a wide-open receiver down the sideline, before missing Watson across the middle of the field on second down.
On third down and 10, Love, who was 3-5 for 31 yards, threw an incomplete pass, setting up a Brandon McManus field goal attempt from 45 yards out, which was up and good to take a 3-0 lead.
The Lions offense took the field for the first time, and quarterback Jared Goff tripped after getting stepped on by the center while handing the ball off to Jahmyr Gibbs for a gain of two yards.
Goff threw an incomplete pass in the direction of wide receiver Jameson Williams on second down before getting blasted following a Packers blitz, leading to another incomplete pass, going three-and-out on their opening possession.
Head coach Dan Campbell became the Lions’ play caller against the Washington Commanders, and against the Packers, at least on their first drive, didn’t look up to par, although it’s very early in the game.
The Packers opened their second drive with a misdirection wide receiver handoff to Bo Melton for a one-yard gain before throwing incomplete on second down.
Facing a third and nine, Love found running back Chris Brooks for a four-yard gain that was leveled with a Terrion Arnold big tackle on the play.
Punt returner Tom Kennedy had a nice gain for 21 yards, moving the ball to the 37-yard line.
Gibbs took the handoff from Goff and gained seven yards, but All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown got rolled up on and lay on the field as the medical staff checked him out.
St. Brown was seen walking to the locker room as Gibbs gained seven yards on the play to move the sticks.
Running back David Montgomery gained a couple of yards, but the play was nullified when they drew a penalty that cost them five yards.
Montgomery got swarmed in the backfield for no gain before Goff threw incomplete in the direction of Williams.
On third and 15, Goff got sacked by Micah Parsons for a loss of si, forcing a punt by punter Jack Fox.
Love threw incomplete on first down.
On second down, Love found Jacobs for an eight-yard catch.
Facing a third and two, Jacobs broke free down the left side of the field for a 29-yard gain.
Wilson picked up five yards on first down before getting taken down immediately for a one-yard gain.
On third down and five, with the Lions’ defense needing to make a play, Love, with the ball on the 40-yard line, got Detroit to jump offsides, gaining a first down.
With the ball on the 30-yard line, Love handed the ball off to Jacobs, who got tackled in the backfield for a loss of two yards by Alex Anzalone.
2nd quarter
Jacobs opened the quarter with a chunk gain of nine yards, setting up a third and two.
Love threw incomplete before finding Wicks in the endzone for the first touchdown of the game.
After the extra point, the Lions trailed 10-0.
Goff finished the first quarter without a passing yard for the first time in his career.
Taking the field for the first possession of the quarter, Goff handed the ball off to Gibbs for a short gain before finding Williams across the middle of the field for a 23-yard gain.
Campbell decided to run a misdirection to Williams, who got blasted in the backfield for a loss of five yards.
Gibbs gained 19 yards on the next play on an explosive run.
The Lions finally moved the ball into the red zone of the Packers, and on the following play, handed the ball off to Gibbs for a one-yard gain.
On second down and nine, Detroit, continuing to run the ball, handed it off to Gibbs for a loss of four yards.
Facing third and long, Goff found preseason favorite Kennedy down the middle of the field for a gain of 23 yards.
On first and goal, Goff handed the ball off to Montgomery, but a flag was thrown for an illegal formation penalty, resulting in a five-yard loss.
Montgomery picked up eight yards following a hard-style running play to get back on schedule.
Facing a second and goal, Montgomery gained three yards on the play.
Running a wildcat play, Montgomery rushed the ball up the middle for their first touchdown of the game.
Kicker Jake Bates kicked in the extra point to bring the deficit to 10-7.
Love threw off his back foot field to Watson, but cornerback Amik Robertson made a pass breakup on the play.
Wicks made a catch and run for seven yards, setting up a third and three where Love found Watson for a fingertip catch to move the sticks.
Love connected with Brooks for a five-yard gain.
The Packers fumbled the ball, Love picked it up, and threw an incomplete pass down the field.
Going 4/7 on third down, Love, facing third and five, found Wicks for 18 yards.
Jacobs rushed for two yards on first down before Love found Luke Musgrave while running to his right for a 23-yard catch.
With the ball back in the red zone, Watson ran a wide receiver handoff for three yards.
Love threw incomplete on second down.
Facing a third and seven, Detroit got flagged for having 12 men in the huddle.
Now facing a third and three, Michigan Wolverines legend Aidan Hutchinson stopped Love’s scramble for two yards.
On fourth and one, with the play clock nearing zero, the Packers jumped offsides, but head coach Matt LaFleur was granted a timeout, which was met with jeers from the Lions fans.
With 2:16 to go in the half, Green Bay went for it and hit wide receiver Romeo Doubs for a wide-open touchdown.
The Packers led 17-7.
Trailing by 10, Gibbs took the handoff for no gain as the clock hit the two-minute warning.
After the break, Goff drew the Packers offside to gain five yards.
Goff hit Kenedy for a four-yard reception.
Facing third and one, Montgomery gained two yards before the Lions called a timeout with 1:14 to play.
Goff found Williams for a 25-yard gain before the Packers called a timeout due to an injury.
Gibbs snatched a short grab of five yards before Kennedy made a finger tip grab of two yards, setting up a third and one with 31 seconds to play.
Facing a third and three, Goff found Williams with a receiver draw, which almost got blown up, but Williams eluded the tackle and scored a touchdown, followed by a Bates extra point to take the deficit back to three.
Love threw incomplete on first down.
With 16 seconds left in the first half, the Packers took a knee and had a three-point lead at halftime.
3rd quarter
Gibbs opened the half with a three-yard run before gaining two more yards on second down.
Goff connected with Kennedy to move the sticks for their first first down of the half.
Gibbs stutter-stepped four yards on the ground on first down, before making some defenders miss for a gain of two yards.
Gibbs got swallowed up for a loss of one on third and two, setting up a fourth-down play.
Campbell called another running play, this time right up the gut of the Packers defense, where he was stuffed in the backfield, turnover on downs.
After a first down run by Jacobs, Love found Watson for a 51-yard touchdown over Robertson to take a 24-14 lead.
Goff scrambled for a 24-yard gain on first down to move the sticks.
A play-action pass went to Montgomery on first down for a short gain; Detroit ran it again and hit Montgomery, who trucked a defender for a first down catch and run.
Goff handed the ball off to Montgomery for a 14-yard run to continue to move the chains.
Rookie Isaac TeSlaa grabbed his first catch of the game, which went for a touchdown of 17 yards to bring the deficit back to three, as the Packers led 24-21.
Jacobs took the handoff for a gain of three on first down for the Packers.
On second down, Melton took a handoff for a chunk game of 14 yards.
Love found Wicks for a 30-yard gain down the field before Thomas Harper went down with an injury.
After the injury timeout, Love handed the ball off to Jacobs, who plowed forward for six yards.
Wilson surged forward up the gut for a first down.
Back in the red zone, Doubs took a wide receiver screen down the field for five yards before Brian Branch laid the wood on him.
Love called the Packers’ first timeout of the second half.
Detroit nearly got a break as Doubs caught the pass, ran, and fumbled, but the ball bounced in the belly of an offensive lineman.
On third and one, Love threw an incomplete pass, but Jack Campbell was called for grabbing the facemask of a Packers player, moving the ball to the goal line, where Jacobs ran it down to the one-yard line.
Facing a second and one, Wicks caught another out route for his second touchdown of the game.
The Packers took a 31-21 lead after the extra point.
Love threw for four touchdown passes through three quarters.
Goff connected with Williams for a 15-yard catch and run on first down.
Goff threw to Montgomery, who threw it back to Goff, who fumbled and lost nine yards on the play.
Facing a second and 19, Goff handed the ball off to Gibbs for a 13-yard run.
On third and six, Gibbs stutter-stepped down the left side of the field for a 12-yard run, gaining the first down to end the quarter.
4th quarter
Goff hit Williams for a nine-yard run before Gibbs got tackled in the backfield for a loss ot two.
On third and three, Goff found Williams for a seven-yard catch and run to move the sticks.
It was Williams’ sixth catch of the day. He hit 100 yards on the play.
Gibbs got tackled for no gain on first down.
On second and 10, Goff hit Gibbs for a seven-yard catch.
Facing another third down and short, Gibbs got swarmed in the backfield for no gain.
Going for it on fourth down and three, Goff hit Williams, but the ball was thrown behind him as Williams dropped the ball.
Detroit is 0-6 on fourth downs dating back to last week’s game against the New York Giants.
Detroit was 0-2 on fourth downs on the day.
Love scrambled for a five-yard gain on first down.
Jacobs gained one yard on second down.
Needing to make a play on third down, the Lions’ defense made a key stop as Robertson got away with pass interference.
Goff threw incomplete to Gibbs, who had the ball in his hands but dropped the pass.
Facing the clock, TeSlaa broke free and made a diving catch of 18 yards.
Parsons blasted Goff for his first sack of the game.
Losing eight yards, Goff hit Ross Dwelley for a short gain.
Goff got sacked on third and 18, but Green Bay got called for illegal contact, moving the sticks.
Getting a new set of downs, Goff handed the ball off to Montgomery for a short gain as jeers rang off in the stadium as the clock ticked below seven minutes.
Goff hit Williams for a 20-yard catch and run to keep the drive going.
Gibbs took the handoff for a short gain as the game clock continued to tick.
Anthony Firkser caught a pass for six yards before Goff found Gibbs for a four-yard catch to the goal line.
Montgomery threw incomplete on a wildcat play before Goff had his pass deflected.
Facing third and goal, Goff got sacked by Parsons again, setting up a fourth-down field goal attempt by Bates.
After an injury timeout, with 2:59 to play in the game, Bates made the 31-yard field goal as the Lions trailed Green Bay 31-24.
Detroit needing a stop, their defense took the field and met Jacobs in the backfield for no gain on first down.
The Lions called their first timeout of the second half as the defense lined up and tackled Jacobs, who toted the rock for five yards, leading to Detroit calling their second timeout of the game.
With one timeout remaining, Detroit’s defense gave up the turkey as Love found Watson for a short-gain first down, while going out of bounds.
Jacobs ran the ball for three yards, forcing the Lions to call their final timeout of the game.
He rushed the ball again, this time for two yards as the clock ticked down to the two-minute warning.
With the game on the line, facing a third-and-three with no timeouts, Love threw to Watson, but Brian Branch broke it up, setting up a fourth-and-three.
Green Bay lined up to go for it on fourth down but was granted a timeout (again).
Love lined up in shotgun and hit Wicks down the middle of the field for the game-winning catch as they gained their final timeout of the game.