Detroit roars to NFC North lead

GREEN BAY, Wis. — David Montgomery rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns, and the Detroit Lions asserted themselves as the team to beat in the NFC North, dominating the first half and beating the Green Bay Packers 34-20 on Thursday night.

Montgomery carried the ball 32 times after he sat out the Lions’ victory over Atlanta last Sunday with a thigh bruise.

He became the first Lion to rush for three touchdowns at Green Bay and the first Detroit player to top 100 yards rushing with three scores since James Stewart in 2000.

The Lions (3-1) beat the Packers (2-2) for a fourth straight time, a streak that also includes the final game of last season, when Detroit denied Green Bay a playoff spot in Aaron Rodgers’ last game with the Packers.

Rodgers’ replacement, Jordan Love, threw for a touchdown and ran for another as he tried to rally the Packers in the second half. He finished 23 of 36 for 246 yards and was picked off twice by Jerry Jacobs.

Detroit led 27-3 at halftime and had outgained Green Bay 284 yards to 21 as the half ended with boos from the crowd. It was the Lions’ highestscoring first half against the Packers in the series’ 188-game history.

The Packers had staged an improbable rally five days earlier, trailing New Orleans 17-0 before scoring 18 points in the final 11 minutes for a one-point victory.

Green Bay faced a halftime deficit of at least 17 points in back-to-back weeks for the first time in franchise history. And this time, it was too much to overcome.

Love got the Packers within 10 points. His 1yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson capped a season-long 86-yard drive to open the second half.