Jake Bates kicked a 22-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Detroit Lions past the Green Bay Packers 20-17 at Ford Field on Sunday. The final-second kick capped a back-and-forth game that featured four lead changes and ended an NFC North matchup that pushed Detroit to 4-2.
Jared Goff threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jameson Williams, to put Detroit in position for the winning kick. Green Bay’s Jordan Love answered with 274 yards and two touchdown passes of his own, including a go-ahead score to Josh Jacobs in the third quarter, but his lone interception and a stalled fourth-quarter drive left the door open for Bates. Running back Josh Jacobs led Green Bay’s ground game with just 36 yards on 11 carries.
Key Moments: How The Lions Won
Detroit struck first when Goff hit Williams for a 16-yard touchdown with 7:00 left in the first quarter. Green Bay answered before halftime of the opening period, with Love finding tight end Tucker Kraft from 14 yards out to tie the game 7-7 with 58 seconds left in the quarter.
Bates gave Detroit a 10-7 lead on a 40-yard field goal early in the second quarter, and the score held into the second half. Green Bay then took its only lead of the second half when Love connected with Jacobs on a 25-yard touchdown pass, making it 14-10 with 12:14 left in the third quarter.
Detroit responded quickly. Goff found Williams again, this time from 10 yards, to put the Lions back in front 17-14 with 6:33 remaining in the third. Green Bay forced overtime-level drama when Trey Smack drilled a 43-yard field goal with 7:10 left in the fourth quarter, tying the score at 17-17. Neither team found the end zone again, and Bates closed it out with his second field goal of the day as the clock hit zero.
Top Performers
Goff completed 22 of 32 passes for the Lions with a passer rating of 119.7 and did not throw an interception. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught nine passes for 153 yards, and Williams added five receptions for 91 yards and both of his touchdowns. Jahmyr Gibbs carried 29 times for 116 yards, powering a Detroit rushing attack that totaled 119 yards on the night.
For Green Bay, Love completed 27 of 45 passes for 274 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Christian Watson led Packers receivers with 57 yards on five catches, while Matthew Golden drew a team-high 12 targets and caught six passes for 39 yards. Linebacker Isaiah McDuffie paced the Packers defense with 11 tackles, matching Detroit’s Jack Campbell, who also finished with 11 stops.
What It Means
Detroit improved to 4-2 and sits two games behind the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings, who are 6-0, in the NFC North. Green Bay fell to 4-3 after the loss, dropping into a tie for third in the division behind Minnesota and Chicago at 5-2. The Lions outgained the Packers 415 yards to 324 and converted 5 of 10 third downs compared to Green Bay’s 5-for-15 mark, though Detroit’s two turnovers, both lost fumbles, kept the game within reach for the Packers into the final minute.
Green Bay’s 3-of-4 conversion rate on fourth down reflected the aggressive approach that kept the Packers competitive despite trailing in total yards for most of the afternoon. Detroit’s defense also forced the game’s only interception, with Brian Branch picking off Love to help offset the Lions’ own giveaways.
What’s Next
Both teams return to division play as the NFC North race continues to tighten behind Minnesota. Detroit will look to build on its current form, while Green Bay will try to regroup after a loss that moved the Lions ahead of them in the standings. Fans can track injury updates on Packers players Jordon Riley and Micah Parsons, both listed as out heading into Sunday’s game, along with tight end Luke Musgrave. For more on how this matchup shaped up beforehand, see the Packers vs Lions preview.
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