Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) eats a turkey leg after leading his team past the Detroit Lions, 31-24, Thursday.
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The path to NFC North supremacy has run through Detroit in recent seasons.
The Lions have won two straight division titles. Detroit also went 2-0 against Green Bay in both 2024 and 2022.
So here’s how the Packers approached their Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit Thursday.
“Those guys beat us twice last year. One time at the crib and then one time at (their) house,” Packers safety Javon Bullard said. “No matter how we get that (expletive) done, we gotta get it done.”
They did.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love threw four touchdowns — including two to Dontayvion Wicks — and Green Bay had a festive holiday with a 31-24 win over the host Lions.
The Packers defeated the Lions for the second time this year and improved to 3-0 in the NFC North. Green Bay improved to 8-3-1 (.708), swept Detroit for the first time since 2020, and are now just percentage points behind first place Chicago (8-3, .727).
Detroit fell to 7-5.
“It’s huge,” wideout Christian Watson said of facing the Lions. “NFC North, Thanksgiving, big-time game, it’s a must-win for us.”
Here’s the ‘Good, Bad and Ugly’ from Green Bay’s win.
**JORDAN LOVE:** Love is playing through an AC joint sprain in his left (non-throwing) shoulder.
“It’s an injury,” Love said. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it.”
That injury certainly didn’t slow him down Thursday.
Love had one of the best days of his career, throwing four touchdowns, no interceptions and posting a 124.2 passer rating. Love threw two touchdown passes to Dontayvion Wicks, and one to both Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.
It marked the third time in Love’s career he’s thrown four TDs in a game.
“Yeah, I think it speaks a lot to him, and just in regards to his mindset, his mentality, and how tough he is,” LaFleur said of Love. “I mean that, it takes a lot of physical and mental toughness to play the quarterback position, to be able to stand in there, especially when you are injured, knowing that you're probably going to get hit at some point.”
**DONTAYVION WICKS:** The Packers’ third-year wide receiver had his best game of the season, hauling in a pair of touchdowns.
Wicks had six receptions for 94 yards and had TD receptions of 22- and 1-yard. Wicks’ season-high for catches had been four (done twice) and his high-water mark for receiving yards was 44 (vs. Washington in Week 2).
Wicks also made one of the biggest plays of the game, hauling in a 16-yard pass from Love on fourth-and-3 with 1:55 left. With the Lions out of timeouts, that play essentially ended the game.
**FOURTH DOWN MAGIC:** Wicks’ grab to salt the game away wasn’t Green Bay’s only big play on fourth down.
The Packers went for it on two fourth downs in the first half — and scored touchdowns on both plays.
On the first score, Green Bay had a fourth-and-3 when Love connected with Dontayvion Wicks for a 22-yard TD in the left corner of the endzone. Love lofted a perfect pass, Wicks broke away from safety Brian Branch and did a masterful job of getting both feet down to give Green Bay a 10-0 lead.
On the second fourth down score, the Packers had a fourth-and-1 from the Lions’ 2-yard line. Romeo Doubs beat cornerback D.J. Reed to the left corner of the endzone, and Love delivered another strike that gave Green Bay a 17-7 advantage.
Detroit head coach Dan Campbell is notorious for going for it on fourth down. Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur was asked on Tuesday if he’d be more aggressive with Campbell on the other side.
“I think it's all about the flow of the game, just the complexion of the game, and that, how that will impact maybe some decisions a little bit more,” LaFleur said. “But I do know that they are going to be aggressive.”
LaFleur was too, and it paid off in spades.
**CLOSING TIME:** Green Bay’s pass rush was quiet most of the day, but the Packers had three sacks in the fourth quarter.
Micah Parsons had two of those sacks, part of a huge day where he had eight pressures, four quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Parsons now has 12.5 sacks this year.
“He’s got so much energy,” Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said. “It’s just, whether he’s in the meeting room, whether he’s on the practice field, game day, he’s a guy that bounces around and kind of lights up the room and just never seems to be stopped.”
**HUGE STOP:** Trailing, 17-14, early in the third quarter, Detroit drove to Green Bay’s 46. On third-and-2, Isaiah McDuffie and Edgerrin Cooper dropped star running back Jahmyr Gibbs for a 1-yard loss.
Then on fourth-and-3, Micah Parsons and McDuffie gobbled Gibbs up for a 2-yard loss, giving Green Bay the ball at its own 49.
Two plays later, Love hit Watson with a 51-yard TD pass that gave the Packers a 24-14 lead.
**THIS AND THAT:** Green Bay picked up a pair of third-and-ones on its opening drive, which led to a 45-yard field goal by Brandon McManus. … Micah Parsons and Kingsley Enagbare combined for a sack on Detroit’s second possession. … Tight end Luke Musgrave made a diving catch for a 23-yard reception late in the first half. That catch helped set up a 2-yard TD pass from Love to Doubs.
**CARRINGTON VALENTINE:** Green Bay’s third-year corner was largely responsible for a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams late in the first half.
On a third-and-3, quarterback Jared Goff threw to Williams behind the line of scrimmage. Valentine closed quickly and had Williams dead to rights, but missed the tackle. Williams broke loose, then waltzed to the endzone for a 22-yard TD that helped the Lions pull within 17-14 at halftime.
**DOWN A PAIR:** Rookie wideout Matthew Golden (wrist) and linebacker Quay Walker (neck/stinger) — two key starters — were both inactive for a second straight game. The other inactives included: defensive linemen Lukas Van Ness and Karl Brooks (ankle), cornerback Nate Hobbs (knee) and offensive lineman Donovan Jennings.
**THIS AND THAT:** Romeo Doubs fumbled inside the Lions’ 5-yard late in the third quarter, but left tackle Rasheed Walker recovered. … Kitan Oladapo was flagged for holding on the opening kickoff, forcing Green Bay to start from its own 17-yard line.
**JAMESON WILLIAMS:** The Lions lost standout wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown early with an ankle injury. Williams stepped up, though, and the Packers had no answer for him.
Williams had seven receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown when the Packers couldn't tackle him.