After a bye week, the Detroit Lions had more time to prepare against the Green Bay Packers in their first NFC North battle of 2026. This game was much closer than it should have been, as Detroit dominated and its own mistakes gave Green Bay life. It came down to a game-winning kick from kicker Jake Bates, with Detroit winning 20-17.
Here are my five takeaways from the Lions’ thrilling win over the Packers.
When the offense was consistent, it was dominant
Despite only scoring 20 points, the Lions’ offense was excellent when it clicked. They scored an opening touchdown for the first time this season, moving the ball downfield with ease as they scored in less than four minutes on six plays to take the lead. Quarterback Jared Goff was rolling and distributing, going 22-for-32 for 303 yards and two touchdowns.
Receiver Jameson Williams found the end zone for Detroit, catching five for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Lions senior receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had his biggest game of the season, hauling in nine catches for 153 yards. The passing attack was deadly and destroyed the Packers secondary, which relied on its safeties to bail it out. The play action worked with ease, given Green Bay’s lack of depth at linebacker.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs had his ups and downs, finishing with 29 carries for 116 yards and five catches for 27 yards. His fumble in the second quarter was costly, as he killed Detroit’s chance to take at least a six-point lead into halftime after recovering the ball. In the end, Gibbs hung on and helped Bates set up the game-winning kick.
The return of Brian Branch and Cade Mays has been felt
Two big pieces returned for the Lions on Sunday: safety Brian Branch and center Cade Mays. Mays started at center and the offensive line hit consistently in the passing game as play action gave Goff time to get ripped. The running game has shown flashes of success. Mays made a mistake, however, and fell to Gibbs on the first fumble of the game.
Branch wasn’t on the field as often as Mays, as his Achilles injury will take time to adjust to playing again. Despite limited snaps, Branch made an impact with four tackles and a huge interception in the fourth quarter. The secondary improved with Branch’s return, and Mays gave the offensive line a nice boost. These two players had a big impact in the victory, and the team feels like they have a better identity on offense and defense.
Defense collapses on crucial downs
Detroit’s defense has improved over its last two games, but its biggest problem this week has been stopping the Packers on crucial downs. Green Bay was three of four on fourth down attempts, getting 77 yards on those successful plays. On third down, you gotta have it, the Lions let the Packers go five for 15.
While that’s not a high success rate, Green Bay converted those misses and turned them into points almost every time.
- Opening drive – Converted fourth down, set up a field goal that was missed
- Second training: conversion of two thirds of bet and a fourth; the result was a touchdown
- Third Training – Three and Out
- Fourth drive – Converted a third and a quarter down; was stopped on downs on the only failed fourth down attempt
- Fifth drive – A rushed play before halftime
- Sixth drive – Touchdown pass scored on third down pass
- Seventh drive – Three-and-out
- Eighth drive – Interception on third down
- Ninth drive – Converted a third down, made a field goal
- 10th drive – Missed field goal on four-play drive
Detroit was bailed out by Packers kicker Trey Smack, who missed two field goals. If he had made the first field goal, Green Bay might have made it on that fourth drive instead of going for it. Green Bay only punted twice all game, and if Detroit makes more stops, those numbers could increase.
One problem Detroit has had this season is the number of penalties they have given in each game. From false starts to holding up on both sides of the ball, Detroit has struggled in some games this season. On Sunday, Detroit was called for five penalties, a slight improvement from its average of seven per game, according to TeamRankings.com.
Two were on special teams, one was a questionable penalty to linebacker Derrick Barnes and the other two were false starts by the offensive line. The two offensive penalties didn’t hurt the team or stall the drive, which was good to see compared to earlier in the year. Unfortunately, when they solve one problem, another appears.
Even though Detroit didn’t fight with penalties, they fought with fumbles. Even though Gibbs’ fumble was friendly fire, it still made the game closer than it was. If Gibbs hadn’t made a mistake, Detroit could have been up six to 10 at halftime. Detroit moved the ball down the field with ease, which killed the momentum.
The second turnover was another clumsy play from Mays and Goff; Mays went through it and I don’t know what happened. I’m not sure if Goff didn’t grab the ball or if Mays snapped it too early, but it was thrown forward and Green Bay was able to get the ball started in about two halves. While the first fumble didn’t give Green Bay any points, the Packers took advantage of the second fumble and scored. These two fumbles were big twists and almost turned this victory into a defeat.
Detroit has to clean up fumbles, and Goff threw several risky passes that should have been intercepted; one of them was knocked out due to defensive pass interference on Green Bay. It was scary after the offense started strong, but if they can play clean football and avoid penalties and turnovers, this offense can remain one of the best in the NFL.
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