Green Bay Packers barely hold off the Detroit Lions
The Lions aren’t given enough credit. They have been considered the underdogs against the Packers but they showed that they are true competitors. That doesn’t mean they won the game. A team could win a game even in a fluke but how they played spoke volumes
about their spirits as sportsmen. The Packers would trouble any team they went up against and the Lions too were given a tough challenge.
The Lions should be happy with their effort but the Packers surely weren’t. In terms of raw talent the Packers are overflowing with it. Still their 3 – 1 run this season just doesn’t feel satisfying. After the win over Detroit, Green Bay just wasn’t in the
mood to celebrate. “Doesn't feel like it, does it?" Packers coach Mike McCarthy asked.
The Packers started off great in the first quarter. With the kickoff return and two penalties on Detroit, the Packers started their drive on the 50 yard line. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers drove 21 yards in three plays and ended off the drive with
a 29 yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver. In contrast the first play of the first drive for the Lions results in a 9 yard sack and the drive ended with the first interception of the game just 17 yards short of the endzone. The first quarter ended with just
one touchdown.
The Lions equalized with a touchdown in the second quarter. Detroit continued from the 32 yard line from the first quarter. Quarterback Shaun Hill waited for wide receiver Calvin Johnson to sneak past the Packers defence into the endzone and threw a 23 yards
pass for touchdown.
A drive later when Detroit had possession again they fumbled the ball and incurred a penalty at their 25 yard line putting the Packers within the redzone. Green Bay of course didn’t miss the opportunity. 13 yard touchdown pass at Jermichael Finley put the
Packers in the lead again.
Minutes later the Packers would score a touchdown again after Aaron Rodgers picked up the pace and threw a 48 and 17 yard passes for touchdown. The Packers equalized again but the drive was severely hampered by Green Bay. Detroit’s quarterback was sacked
twice in the drive to lose 14 yards. Detroit also gave up another 15 yards in penalties but still Shaun was not going to give up. Little by little the Lions closed in. The drive ended with a 21 yards pass to Calvin Johnson. Johnson was surrounded on three
sides by linebacker A. J Hawk, cornerback Charles Woodson and free safety Derrick Martin. Somehow Shaun was able to get the ball into Johnson’s hands through the Green Bay defence.
The Lions got another chance when the Packers fumbled the subsequent kick on the 37 yard line to the Lions but were ultimately unable to capitalize on the opportunity as second quarter ended here and the third began with a 26 yard kick return off a 69 yards
kick. The Lions began on the 27 yard line and after a Green Bay Penalty, moved up to their 38 yard line. However things turned against them. Packers’ cornerback Woodson intercepted the pass intended for Calvin Johnson at the 48 yard line.
Shaun threw the pass wide of Johnson and Woodson, who was just behind him, plunged to catch the ball. Woodson was up on his feet right away and veered to the right to evade the first of the approaching Lions. Woodson was flanked by his teammates as he dashed
down towards to the endzone. None of Lions were able to stop him. In the last yards Woodson jumped over one of his opponents to land inside the endzone for touchdown. Green Bay had a definitive 14 points lead now with almost two full quarters remaining.
The Packers had 4 Touchdowns by the beginning of the third quarter against the Lions two. But the Lions would make their comeback at this point. The Packers have always had a stronger defence than their offense and that would become apparent again in the
third and fourth quarters.
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