DETROIT-- The Lions hosted the Green Bay Packers primetime Thursday night with a chance to punch their ticket to the playoffs with a win.
The Lions were 11-1 coming into the night, playing a 9-3 Packers team that the Lions defeated on the road earlier this year, 24-10, and looked to complete the regular season sweep tonight.
Lions would receive the kick and open the game with an 11-play, 70-yard touchdown drive. Chunk Catches from Amon Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams allowed David Montgomery to punch in the three-yard touchdown run.
Defensive Tackle Alim McNeill went to the locker room with a head injury during the first quarter and was eventually ruled out joining teammate DJ Reader who was ruled out before the game.
The teams would trade punts, and the score would stand at 7-0 to end the first quarter.
First play of the second quarter would be a pass to Christian Watson who picked up 20 yards before Carlton Davis got to him and forced a fumble. The Lions would take over and add a field goal to make the game 10-0.
The ensuing possession would see that Packers string together an 11-play, 70-yard scoring drive of their own to make it a 3-point game.
The Lions would get the ball back with 5:35 on the clock and eat up all but 11 seconds, this time capping off their 12-play, 70-yard drive with a pass to Jahmyr Gibbs on 4th and goal to make the halftime lead 10 points. The score was helped set up by a 20-yard catch from Jameson Williams, who led all receivers at half with 3 catches for 54 yards, followed by Sam Laporta with 4 catches for 40 yards.
Packers would receive the second-half kick and find Christian Watson for a 59-yard gain on their second offensive play. Later Jordan Love would find Tucker Kraft for a 12-yard touchdown catch, bringing them back within 3 on a quick 5-play, 1:45 drive.
Goff would get the ball back and look for Tim Patrick on the second play of the drive but threw into double coverage on a short pass and would be intercepted.
Josh Jacobs would punch in his second touchdown of the night off the turnover to give the Packers their first lead of the game.
Goff would redeem himself on the next Lions drive however, this time connecting with Tim Patrick in the endzone. The 13-play, 70-yard drive took six minutes, leaving five left in the third quarter and put the Lions back in front 24-21. It was Patrick’s first touchdown of the season. Jahmyr Gibbs also reached a milestone on a 20-yard run he had during the drive, hitting the 1,000-yard rushing mark.
The Lions defense would then force a punt and face a fourth down of their own on their own 31-yard line and elect to pitch to Gibbs who would get stuffed.
The Packers took over in plus territory and after a Tucker Kraft first down catch, Josh Jacobs completed the hattrick, picking up his third touchdown of the night and giving the Packers the lead right back in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter.
St. Brown and Laporta would make a few big time plays on the Lions first drive of the fourth quarter that got them into goal to go, and Tim Patrick added a second touchdown grab that put the Lions back in front 31-28 with just under nine minutes to go in the game.
Packers again responded, getting downfield quickly and into scoring position, but the Lions defense would stand tall and force a field goal, tying the game at 31 with 3:38 left to play and the Detroit offense getting the ball back.
They would drive down and have 2nd and 17 under the two-minute warning before completing a 16-yard pass to St. Brown. However, Montgomery would be stopped short of first down yardage on the following play and it would bring up fourth down for Detroit.
A gutsy fourth down call saw Montgomery redeem himself, pick up the first down, and the Lions would let the clock run down and hand the keys to Jake Bates.
Bates would drill the 35-yarder with no time on the clock, and the Lions get a thrilling win, 34-31.
They next play at home against the Bills on Dec. 15.
