Packers on another level, beat Detroit Lions 27-15 on Thanksgiving Day – NFL Recap
Another game another Green Bay Packers victory as the franchise continues to prove that it is on another level compared to others in the National Football League. This time it was Detroit Lions who succumbed to Aaron Rodgers genius
losing 27-15 in the Thanksgiving Day encounter at Ford Field in Detroit.
A physical encounter is always on the cards whenever Lions take to the field, and it was no different this time with Aaron Rodgers taking the brunt of hits as Lions unsuccessfully tried to hit him out of the game. Rodgers on the
other hand was calm throughout and his eye for the pass shown during the game as he threw two touchdown passes covering 307 yards, and completing 22 out of 33 attempted passes.
"We try to rise above things like that," Rodgers said. "We knew in a rivalry game, there are going to be a hard of hard hits, but we kept things between the whistles."
Detroit Lions, like in the game against Chicago Bears, lost every sense of composure as they lost their eighth consecutive Thanksgiving Day match.
Ndamukong Suh was ejected in the third period allowing Packers to take complete control of the game. Matthew Stafford whose heroics led to a Lions comeback win last week over Carolina Panthers was more subdued as he was picked
off three times. Stafford ended with 276 yards and threw just a single passing touchdown completing 32 of 45 attempted passes in an underwhelming Lions performance.
Stafford later told reporters, "I still do feel like we match up really well against those guys," he said. "We didn't play our best. We didn't get a bunch of breaks."
For all the hype before the game both teams started off cautiously taking few risks during a scoreless first quarter. It was only a matter of time, however, when Rodgers got into his gear throwing his first touchdown pass from
three yards to Gregg Jennings in the second quarter.
Green Bay then started the third quarter on fire turning the s***w on Detroit Lions who looked more and more frustrated as the game wore on. Lions’ defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh got ejected early in the third as his frustration
boiled over and was ejected from the game for stomping on Packers Guard Evan Dietrich-Smith.
Green Bay took complete advantage of the ejection building up a 24-0 lead in the third quarter. John Kuhn’s one-yard run for the touchdown got the Packers up 14-0 with nine minutes left. Four minutes later, Aaron Rodgers showed
why he is the best quarterback throwing a brilliant 65 yards pass to James Jones who did well to catch it in the end-zone. Mason Crosby’s field goal with a minute left in the quarter made it 24-0 to Green Bay with Lions struggling to create any offensive plays.
Running back Keiland Williams got Detroit Lions first points of the game early in the fourth with a powerful 16-yard run to score a touchdown. Lions successfully got a two-point conversion to bring the score to 24-8, but there
was no miracle comeback this time.
Mason Crosby made the game safe with a field goal three minutes from time as Packers led 27-8. Matthew Stafford threw his only passing touchdown of the game with 11 seconds of regular time left from three yards to Calvin Johnson
to end the game 27-15.
"It really does ruin the holiday," Lions centre Dominic Raiola said. "You put so much into this and to go out there and lay an egg like that, it's disappointing. My day's ruined."
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