The Lions pulled away with a late victory on a gutsy Dan Campbell 4th down call.
December 7, 2024- The Lions are the best team in football right now. This win over the Packers marks their 12th straight, and Dan Campbell is keeping his foot on the gas.
Most NFL coaches would take a field goal on 4th down with 40 seconds left in the game to maybe secure a victory. Most would. Dan Campbell however, pushes the norm for conventional coaching tactics. Campbell threw the dice and kept the offense out on 4th down to convert on 4th-and-inches.
The snap bobbles, quarterback Jared Goff stumbles, the play looks dead. David Montgomery somehow secures the ball and plows his way 7 yards effectively sealing the game for the Lions. Jake Bates kicks the field goal and the Lions walk out with a win.
@sportsfactory2 Unreal stones from Dan Campbell ???? #lions #packers #nfl #football #goff #dancampbell
The Lions went for it on 4th down four separate times this game. Converting 3/4 and one in a crucial, clutch time moment.
Lions Player Stats
Jared Goff was efficient as always, completing 32/41 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns. Two of which, went to Tim Patrick who had not scored a touchdown in almost three years before tonight.
The running back duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery (Sonic and Knuckles) combined for over 150 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns.
Sam LaPorta was relatively efficient as well, he caught 5 balls for 54 yards. Some of those catches came on crucial 3rd down attempts.
The Lions had 6 different players catch at least 5 balls throughout this game. This shows how deep they run and if one guy is locked up or underperforming they can attack with another. The amount of weapons keeps this offense explosive and unpredictable. Especially with their offensive guru Ben Johnson.
Packers Player Stats
Jordan Love and the Packers came out slow. Trailing by 10 at the end of the first half. But the Packers’ big play potential is always very dangerous and their deep threat in Christian Watson is formidable. Watson caught 5 balls for 114 yards with a 28.5-yard average per catch. These deep balls are what was able to keep the Packers in the game.
Love completed 12/20 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown to tight end Tucker Kraft. Not his best game through the air as head coach Lafleur relied heavily on running back Josh Jacobs in the end-zone. Jacobs ended with 66 yards and 3 touchdowns. All of Jacob’s touchdowns came within the 10-yard line, a product of the deep ball attitude the Packers adapted during this matchup.
One strange note, however. Jayden Reed, who has emerged as the most promising wide receiver in the Packers offensive core had only 1 target in the entire game. He also only played around 60% of the snaps. Whether or not he was injured wasn’t disclosed before or during the game and it remains a mystery why the Packers did not utilize this young talent against a tough division rival.
@jazz.talks.footba Not touching the ball 1 time is insane . Everyone welcome the newest addition to the banned list #lions #packers #fantasyfootball #fantasy #greenbay #jaydenreed #reed #nfl #nflfootball #nflplayoffs
Lions vs. Packers
The Lions have clinched the NFC with this win and the Packers remain in the hunt to secure a playoff spot. With this win, the Lions have also ruined the hopes of Eagles fans to attain that #1 spot. One Eagles fan posted her reactions (filled with disappointment) following the end of the game.
@rossitakes
The Lions are now 12-1 on the year and haven’t lost a game since week 1 of the season. Their Super Bowl run seems imminent. The Packers are 9-4 with very real playoff hopes. The main takeaway from this game is that the NFC North is the most exciting division in football right now.
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Published by HOLR Magazine
Image Credit: @sportsfactory2 TikTok, @jazz.talks.football TikTok @rositakes TikTok