DETROIT, MI — Jordan Love matched a career high with four touchdown passes on Thanksgiving, converting a pair of fourth downs for scores and leading the Green Bay Packers to a 31-24 win over the Detroit Lions.
With the victory, the Packers (8-3-1) swept the season series and picked up a valuable tiebreaker in the NFC North, where they sit behind first-place Chicago (8-3). The Bears face Philadelphia on Friday.
Detroit (7-5), which entered the night outside the playoff picture, slipped further with its third loss in five games.
The difference in the game came down to who could convert on 4th down. The Packers succeeded, the Lions failed miserably. Green Bay converted three times on 4th down, twice for touchdowns, and once to seal the game.
The Lions turned the ball over on downs twice — on the opening drive of the second half and again early in the fourth quarter — and Green Bay capitalized both times. After Jahmyr Gibbs was stopped for a loss on fourth down just across midfield, Love found Christian Watson for a 51-yard touchdown, pushing the Packers’ lead to 24-14 early in the third.
Trailing by 10 in the fourth, Detroit went for it on fourth-and-3 from the Green Bay 21, but Jameson Williams dropped a pass over the middle. Detroit’s defense produced a stop, and the Lions offense drove to the Packers’ 4-yard line before Micah Parsons’ sack forced Dan Campbell to settle for a field goal, cutting the deficit to 31-24 with 2:59 remaining.
Parsons finished with 2.5 sacks.
Love then sealed the win with two clutch throws: an 8-yard completion to Watson on third-and-5 and a 16-yard strike to Dontayvion Wicks on fourth-and-3.
Love completed 18 of 30 passes for 234 yards. His TDs included a 22-yard fourth-down pass to Wicks and a 2-yard fourth-down throw to Romeo Doubs in the second quarter, the long third-quarter touchdown to Watson, and a 1-yard toss to Wicks later in the period.
Jared Goff went 20 of 26 for 256 yards and two touchdowns — a 22-yard pass to Williams before halftime and a 17-yard connection with rookie Isaac TeSlaa in the third. Williams posted career highs with seven receptions for 144 yards, but his late fourth-down drop proved costly.
Gibbs was held to 68 yards on 20 carries and added three catches for 18 yards.
Up next, the Packers host the Chicago Bears on December 7. The Lions will host the Dallas Cowboys on December 4.
Green Bay Packers Micah Parsons in action against the Detroit Lions
(Credit: Madison Morris/packers.com)
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