Jordan Love threw four touchdown passes and the Green Bay Packers spoiled a Detroit Thanksgiving, beating the Lions 31-24 on Thursday evening.
Love was 18 of 30 for 234 yards and connected with Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks — who scored twice, once before and once after the halftime show featuring Jack White and Eminem. Wicks opened the scoring with an early touchdown and later made a leaping fourth-down catch that helped seal the win.
Detroit lost Amon-Ra St. Brown to an ankle injury in the first quarter, and Jameson Williams stepped up with seven catches for 144 yards and a touchdown. Williams produced several big plays, including a 22-yard touchdown catch-and-run late in the second quarter that pulled the Lions within 17-14 heading into halftime.
Green Bay’s defense was a difference-maker, generating heavy pressure on Jared Goff — including multiple sacks, tackles for loss and quarterback hits — and helping the Packers improve to 8-3-1. The Lions dropped to 7-5 in the NFC North and have now won just seven of 26 Thanksgiving games since 2000.
The game featured several momentum swings. Wicks’ early one-yard score came after a 30-yard catch on a nine-play, 72-yard drive. Detroit answered late in the first half when Williams broke free for a 22-yard touchdown, but Watson flipped the momentum after halftime with a 51-yard catch on a high-arcing pass from Love that put Green Bay up 24-14.
Goff rallied Detroit with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Isaac TeSlaa, capping a drive that included a 24-yard scramble by Goff and a burst of 30 rushing yards across three plays by David Montgomery. Montgomery also punched in a three-yard touchdown from a wildcat look earlier in the game.
Romeo Doubs converted a fourth-and-one with a two-yard touchdown catch in the first half on a play that briefly drew controversy when an apparent timeout was called on coach Matt LaFleur, but the score ultimately stood.
Detroit’s late push was sparked by Williams’ 44-yard catch-and-run that set up a chance to tie the game. On third-and-goal from the four, Goff was sacked for a nine-yard loss, and Jake Bates’ 31-yard field goal made it 31-24 with 2:59 remaining. On the ensuing Packers possession, Wicks hauled in a spectacular leaping catch on fourth-and-three to pick up the first down and run out the clock.
Other notable moments: an early second-quarter 22-yard catch by Wicks that was initially questioned but confirmed by replay to show control and both feet inbounds, and a key 23-yard reception by Tom Kennedy during Detroit’s earlier drive.
Stats leaders:
Packers
– Passing: Jordan Love, 18/30, 234 yards, 4 TDs
– Rushing: Josh Jacobs, 17 carries, 83 yards
– Receiving: Dontayvion Wicks, 6 catches, 94 yards, 2 TDs
Lions
– Passing: Jared Goff, 20/26, 256 yards, 2 TDs
– Rushing: Jahmyr Gibbs, 20 carries, 68 yards
– Receiving: Jameson Williams, 7 catches, 144 yards, 1 TD
Up next: Detroit hosts the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14, while Green Bay returns to Lambeau Field to face the Chicago Bears in a divisional matchup that could carry big implications for the race.