Detroit Lions butchered by Green Bay Packers 29-22 for 7th straight Thanksgiving Day loss
The Detroit Lions have been living dangerously for three straight weeks. It finally cost them on Thanksgiving Day.
Jared Goff had three turnovers for the second straight game and Jordan Love shredded the Lions defense for 268 yards passing and three touchdowns as the Green Bay Packers handed the Lions their seventh straight Thanksgiving loss, 29-22, at Ford Field.
"It sucks," linebacker Derrick Barnes said. "I think that nobody wants to lose on Thanksgiving but it is what it is. Not that it is what it is, but it’s one of them things you have to spend the time and enjoy with your family and try not to think about it but come Monday we’ve got to get back to work and get back to the details."
Goff lost two first-half fumbles and a third on the fourth play of the fourth quarter, one week after he threw three interceptions in a come-from-behind win over the Chicago Bears.
At 8-3, the Lions now sit 1½ games behind the Philadelphia Eagles for the best record in the NFC and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. They lead the NFC North by two games over the Minnesota Vikings (6-5).
"I really honestly felt pretty good going into this game. I thought we would play well and we just didn’t. We did not," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "The easy thing is to get in panic mode and I know what it looks like and we’ve been good enough out there, but I’m not panicked. We got the right guys who know how to play. We’re going to clean some things up and we’ll have six to go when we get back. And the fight is on now. I mean, they think these are going to be some cruise control — we’re going to have to fight and scratch and fight and claw for everything man. We have to. That’s the type of team we are, that’s where we’re at."
LETDOWN: Lions' Thanksgiving loss to Packers the most disappointing of Dan Campbell era
The Lions had won seven straight division games entering Thursday and three straight overall, but got another disjointed performance from an offense that appeared out of synch most of the day and a defense that struggled to pressure Love and was lax in coverage. The Lions went 1-for-6 on fourth down, the only conversion coming in the final minutes.
Love hit Christian Watson for a 53-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage and gave the Packers a 7-0 lead four plays later with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Michigan State alum Jayden Reed.
Goff answered with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta on the next series, but Riley Patterson missed the extra point and the Packers (5-6) never trailed.
"I feel like when you’re at the top, some people get complacent, some people get, they feel like they got it all, they know everything," Lions safety Kerby Joseph said. "People target you when you’re at the top. To stay at the top, you got to be OK with taking it down a step and learning from your mistakes and just keep going, bro, because the only person that can beat you is you."
Joseph insisted he has not sensed any complacency for they Lions, who won two straight nail-bitters before Thursday. They beat the Los Angeles Chargers on a field goal as time expired in Week 10, then rallied from 12 points down with three minutes to play to beat the Bears last week.
"I mean, we lost one game," Goff said. "I don’t know if we’re in quite a rut yet, but they played better than us today and we didn’t play very well all over.”
Love threw his second touchdown pass on Green Bay’s second possession, and Goff lost his first fumble one series later when he was hit from behind by former Michigan standout Rashan Gary and the ball slipped from his hand as he cocked to throw.
Jonathan Owens returned that fumble 27 yards for a touchdown to give the Packers a 20-6 lead late in the first quarter. The Packers had scored two first-quarter touchdowns in their first 10 games this year.
The Lions trailed, 23-6, at halftime and were fortunate not to be down more. The Packers turned the ball over on downs deep in Detroit territory after Goff's second fumble, when running back A.J. Dillon collided with Love on a fourth-and-inches handoff, and Anders Carlson missed a long field goal attempt as the first half expired.
SHAWN WINDSOR: Thanksgiving loss exposes alarming trend: Lions offense is struggling
Love, who entered Thursday as one of the NFL’s lowest-rated passers with a 59.7% completion percentage, had a perfect passer rating late in the second quarter, finished 22 of 32 passing for the day, and had a 37-yard run in the fourth quarter to help the Packers clinch their third win in four games.
Watson finished with season-highs of five catches and 94 yards and caught a 16-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to give the Packers a 29-14 lead, four plays after the Lions failed on a fake punt from their own 23-yard line.
The play, a direct snap on fourth-and-5 to personal protector Jalen Reeves-Maybin, was similar to one the Lions converted on their own 17-yard line in their Week 1 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
"That's a bad call on me," Campbell said. "I shouldn't have done that to those guys."
Goff finished 29 of 44 passing for 332 yards and two touchdowns. He capped a late 12-play, 91-yard touchdown drive with a 12-yard pass to Josh Reynolds with 41 seconds to play, but Reed recovered the ensuing onside kick for the Packers.
JEFF SEIDEL: Lions punch themselves in the face again with turnovers vs. Packers
David Montgomery had 15 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown for the Lions, who are minus-5 in turnover margin for the season and next visit the NFC South-leading New Orleans on Dec. 3.
"When we come back, everybody’s going to be challenged, as well as myself. I already feel challenged," Campbell said. "And this is how we should want it. You should want to know that everybody’s going to give you their best shot and they’re coming in and you better be ready to go and you’ve got to play clean football. We just have to. And everything’s got to start with the turnovers. We can’t turn the ball over and we’ve got to find a way to get takeaways. Let’s start there and then we’ll figure the rest out.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions butchered by Packers for 7th straight Thanksgiving loss
