Lions beat Packers 20-17 on Jake Bates' field goal as time expires
Jake Bates kicked a 22-yard field goal on the final play to lift the Lions past the Packers 20-17 at Ford Field, saving Dan Campbell after a failed fourth-down gamble.
Lions beat Packers 20-17 on Bates' kick at the horn
The Detroit Lions beat the Green Bay Packers 20-17 at Ford Field on a 22-yard field goal from Jake Bates as time expired. The win pushed Detroit to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the division, and dropped Green Bay to 4-3 and 2-2. The kick came right after Jahmyr Gibbs had room to run into the end zone twice and chose to slide down both times instead, running the clock out so the Packers never got the ball back.
Gibbs finished with 29 carries for 116 yards, and Jared Goff went 22 of 32 for 303 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jameson Williams, a 16-yard score in the first quarter and a 10-yard score in the third. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught nine passes for 153 yards. Detroit outgained Green Bay 415 yards to 324 and held a 26-17 edge in first downs. The Lions turned the ball over twice to Green Bay's one, but still had enough yardage and field position to win it late.
Dan Campbell's fourth down gamble almost blew it
With under five minutes left and Detroit leading, Dan Campbell went for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 24-yard line. Gibbs was stopped for no gain, handing Green Bay the ball in prime position to take the lead. 'I thought we would get it, No. 1,' Campbell said of the call.
Green Bay couldn't cash in. Jordan Love put a pass on Josh Jacobs' hands in the end zone that fell incomplete, then Trey Smack missed a 35-yard field goal after D.J. Wonnum got a finger on it. Detroit got the ball right back, and Goff connected with Sam LaPorta for 18 yards on the drive that set up Bates' winning kick.
Smack's rough night, Branch's return
Smack had already missed a 26-yard field goal wide right in the first half. According to Sportradar, he became the first kicker to miss two field goals from 35 yards or closer in the same game since 2019. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said afterward that Green Bay 'missed two field goals' but that 'we know Trey is capable of making those.'
Love threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns, a 14-yard catch by Tucker Kraft in the first quarter and a 25-yard catch by Josh Jacobs in the third, but he also threw an interception. Lions safety Brian Branch picked him off in the fourth quarter in his first game back since tearing his left Achilles tendon last December. Green Bay was flagged eight times for 81 yards to Detroit's five penalties for 50.
What it means
The Lions have won two straight for the first time this season and sit third in the NFC North behind Minnesota at 6-0 and Chicago at 5-2. Detroit hosts the undefeated Vikings next Sunday. Green Bay's three-game winning streak is over, and the Packers are now last in a division where all four teams have winning records, matching the AFC North.
Facts per ESPN box score. Opinion is the taproom's.