Offense hums early before Packers hold off Lions 34-27
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The timing is back for quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the rest of Green Bay’s offense.
The Packers’ pass defense might need a little work, though.
Rodgers threw for 205 yards and four touchdowns, including two in the first half to Jordy Nelson, and the Packers snapped out of their offensive funk before holding off the Detroit Lions for a win.
Rodgers was 15 of 24, leading the Packers to touchdowns on their first three series. Nelson had 101 yards on six catches, returning to the form that made him one of the NFL’s best receivers before missing the 2015 season with a knee injury.
“Just got on the same page. Hitting Jordy for some big plays helps,” Rodgers said. “Jordy and I connected. Whenever we’re doing that, it kind of opens other things up for the offense.”
They moved the ball on the Lions’ short-handed defense with ease in the first half. The Packers (21) led 31-10 at halftime before the Lions slowly chipped away.
Marvin Jones’ 35-yard touchdown catch with 3:34 left got Detroit (1-2) within seven. But Rodgers had a critical 11yard run on third-and-8 from the Packers 27 with 3:22 left to effectively seal the win.
Jones had a career-high 205 yards on six receptions. Matthew Stafford passed for 385 yards and three scores for the Lions, who held advantages in total yardage (418-324) and time of possession, holding the ball for 35 minutes.
But the Packers burned the secondary with big plays to build a big lead, and Eddie Lacy ran for 103 yards on 17 carries.
“Obviously it was a difficult situation. We put ourselves in that situation. On offense, we didn’t score enough points in the in the first half,” Stafford said. “I’m proud of the guys for fighting back.”
Get defensive
The Packers allowed Detroit to convert on eight of 14 third-down tries, a problem that McCarthy planned to focus on during the bye week.
But Green Bay’s staunch run defense had another big day, albeit against a Lions offense playing without injured tailback Ameer Abdullah. Detroit managed just 50 yards on 23 carries, with a team-high 38 yards on 10 carries by Dwayne Washington.
The Packers also played without nose tackle Letroy Guion, safety Morgan Burnett and defensive lineman-linebacker Datone Jones, who were all out with injuries.