DETROIT – The Packers wasted too many scoring opportunities and ultimately lost to the Lions by a 20-17 field goal Sunday at Ford Field.
Here are five takeaways from this frustrating loss:
1. The Packers missed a golden opportunity to take a lead late.
Green Bay’s defense, led by CB Keisean Nixon, beat Detroit RB Jahmyr Gibbs on a fourth-and-goal call inside the Lions’ 25-yard line with less than five minutes left and the score was tied at 17.
But the Packers didn’t make them pay.
Despite having prime field position at the Detroit 22, Green Bay did nothing with possession. A throw into the end zone on third-and-5 to RB Josh Jacobs looked on target, but he couldn’t get it in as he rushed behind the defender. Making his season debut, Jacobs showed off some nifty footwork on the sideline on a 25-yard TD reception earlier in the game, but he didn’t make the final one.
Rookie K Trey Smack then missed a 35-yard field goal, giving the ball back to the Lions with 3:21 remaining, and the Packers never saw him again.
The official scorebook recorded the kick as being blocked by DJ Wonnum, but it’s hard to say how much his small deflection changed the course of the kick.
“Obviously, I’m very disappointed right now,” head coach Matt LaFleur said. “I thought our team competed, fought hard, but we didn’t take advantage of some big-time opportunities there.”
2. It was a tough day for Smack.
Smack also missed an early shot from 26 yards out to end the Packers’ first drive.
Thanks to a decisive fourth down in Detroit territory, Green Bay reached second-and-goal at the 3, but stalled. A delay of game penalty moved the field goal from 21 yards to 26, and Smack pushed it to the right.
The Packers have been through these ups and downs before with rookie kickers, and it cost them dearly in this one.
“Certainly you never want to go through that, but Trey is a guy, I think he’s proven he can do it,” LaFleur said. “I know he can do it. But we need to clean this one up and move on.”
LaFleur also regretted a chance earlier in the second quarter when he didn’t give Smack a chance to kick, going for it on fourth-and-4 from the Detroit 7-yard line instead of trying a short kick that would have tied the game at 10.
“I blamed myself,” he said.
3. A number of questionable penalties hurt Green Bay.
The Packers were called for two more roughing the passer penalties, one on which Brenton Cox Jr. appeared to be blocked on Lions quarterback Jared Goff after the throw, and another on Karl Brooks on Detroit’s game-winning drive that even the FOX TV announcers said was not a foul.
There was also a personal foul for a scuffle after a play on which no whistle was heard, a questionable intentional grounding call on QB Jordan Love that didn’t seem much different from a similar play by Goff earlier, and a defensive pass interference penalty that erased an interception by rookie CB Brandon Cisse.
On the first, LaFleur had a lengthy discussion with an official during a TV timeout. After the match, he said: “There was no whistle and the guy kept running… so our guys kept playing too.
“They were trying to tell me the room was obviously dead, but how do you know if you don’t hear a whistle?”
But LaFleur didn’t consider the sanctions discussion afterward.
“I didn’t have a lot of explanation throughout the game,” LaFleur said, later adding: “I don’t even want to comment on the penalties. It is what it is. You have to play on top of it. I thought there were some tough calls…
“I can say what I really think, but I don’t think it does any good.”
Green Bay has now been called eight times, bringing passer penalties for opponents to zero this season. Asked about the discrepancy, Love – who has had his fair share of success this year – said he was talking with officials about the plays he thought he might have been mishandled on.
“We’re having these conversations, tell them to be careful,” he said, before declining to say more. “It’s hard.”
4. The Packers got a good effort from their No. 3 center, and the defense tried hard on several occasions, while also having some regrets.
Early in the game, the Packers lost starting center Sean Rhyan to an ankle injury, and immediately his replacement, Jacob Monk, also left with a quad injury.
That inserted John Williams at center, and last year’s second-year, seventh-round pro pick made his NFL debut, holding his own in a tough spot and under difficult circumstances. Williams’ rookie season in 2025 was essentially a failure due to a back injury.
“I can’t say enough about the job John Williams did, in a hostile environment,” LaFleur said. “Losing two guys at center that quickly in the game was a little terrifying, but I thought he did a really good job.”
Love added that Williams’ practice time at center is “not a lot” because he is also a backup left tackle.
“John did a great job of stepping up, being ready, being able to come in and make those decisions at a position where he hasn’t played too much,” Love said.
Defensively, the Packers recovered two fumbles – one with the Lions knocking on the door to score late in the first half, and another near midfield early in the second half.
The defense also got a fourth down stop inside the 10 late in the third quarter to keep points off the board, when Cisse alerted Jameson Williams out of the back of the end zone so he couldn’t go down inbounds with the TD.
A big miss, however, came when S Evan Williams dropped what appeared to be a safe interception early in the fourth quarter. And then Detroit’s final drive was aided by Brooks’ RTP and an offside on Brooks on third-and-5 at the two-minute warning that gave the Lions a first down and helped them run down the clock for the tie game.
5. There is no time to fall into despair.
As infuriating as the loss was, the Packers have a short week and a home game Thursday night against a Carolina team that was eliminated Sunday by NFC South rival Tampa Bay.
The Packers will enter this game at 4-3 and in last place in an NFC North division that has all four teams above .500.
“It’s a tough question,” LaFleur said. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We have to move on.
“We’ll have a team that I’m sure will be pretty well-packed in Lambeau. It’ll be the team that can bounce back the best.”
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