Three most underrated plays from Packers' win over Lions
The Green Bay Packers (5-6) pulled off their biggest win of the season by upsetting the Detroit Lions (8-3) at home on Thanksgiving.Not only did the Packers avenge their embarrassing Week 4 loss, they saved their season. Green Bay was on the bubble at No. 8 coming into the game and would've dropped as far […]
The Green Bay Packers (5-6) pulled off their biggest win of the season by upsetting the Detroit Lions (8-3) at home on Thanksgiving.
Not only did the Packers avenge their embarrassing Week 4 loss, they saved their season. Green Bay was on the bubble at No. 8 coming into the game and would've dropped as far as No. 12 with a loss. The 2023 season would've all been done if the Lions moved to 9-2 in this hypothetical scenario. That didn't happen, however, and the Packers now have all kinds of momentum heading into the final seven games of the season.
As expected, there was plenty of big plays on Thursday. But everyone is going to be talking about them (including us), so I thought I'd give some of the lesser-known, yet very impactful plays some love.
Patrick Taylor's block on Jayden Reed's 15-yard run
The Packers are figuring out how to use Reed and the results have been nothing short of dynamic. He had another big day on Sunday, recording 50 total yards and a receiving touchdown on six combined touches. The touchdown marks his fifth receiving touchdown on the season and his sixth, in all. He also recovered the onside kick that officially sealed the win.
He had another nice run on an end-around against the Lions and it was all keyed by Taylor's huge block on Jerry Jacobs.
Watch Taylor in the video below – he's at the bottom of the screen and keeps Jacobs from getting to Reed. An unblocked Jacobs would've slowed Reed down, but instead, the rookie wideout is left untouched. That allows him to accelerate and then get the extra yards to make it an explosive play:
Remember, Taylor just re-joined the team earlier in the week due Aaron Jones' and Emanuel Wilson's injuries. The reason why the Packers brought him back is because of his experience and playbook knowledge. That really came in handy on this play.
The Packers eventually scored on this drive to go up 14-6, making Taylor's block even more important and underrated.
Rashan Gary's tackle-from-behind on Jamyhr Gibbs
Gary was a force all game long. The dude had a monster day, recording seven total tackles, 3.0 sacks, three QB hits, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. There's little doubt he'll win the NFC Defensive Player of the Week, unless someone else just goes off.
One of his biggest plays will go largely unnoticed, though, and it's understandable. It's not a crazy highlight and it'll only go down as a solo tackle, but it was a huge solo tackle that helped keep the Lions offense discombobulated and prevented what would've been a big run by Gibbs. Instead, it became a six-yard gain that set up a 2nd and 4 instead of a 1st and 10 at what would've probably been midfield, at least.
The Lions' drive eventually stalled and they came away with zero points. It was crucial in helping the Packers maintain their lead and they were able to keep playing their game thanks to the 20-6 margin, at the time.
If the Packers want to make the postseason, they're going to need more superhuman performances from Gary. Fortunately, if there's anyone on the roster who can turn in those types of plays, it's him.
Robert Rochell pins the Lions at their own 2
The Packers allowed the Lions to score on their opening drive of the second half and then failed to procure points on their subsequent opening drive. It wasn't the best start as Green Bay punted the ball away hoping to hold onto their two-score lead.
As we saw last week, you don't want to give the Lions any extra chances to come back in the game, so the next defensive drive was about to be crucial for the Packers.
They received all the help they needed when Robert Rochell, a special teams player that was signed just a few weeks ago, made a huge play at the goal line by smacking the ball back at his teammates at the Detroit 2. Instead of a touchback and receiving the ball at the 20, the Lions' had to start at their own 2.
That keyed the team into going for it from their own 23 on 4th and 4. The Lions tried to run a fake punt and the Packers sniffed it out. Love and co. then proceeded to score a touchdown and make it a 29-14 game.
The failed fake ultimately led to the Lions' demise and it all started with Rochell's effort. It won't show up on the stat sheet, but it sure as hell made a huge impact on the game.
There were plenty of other underrated plays, but these three certainly took the cake. Without them, things could've easily snowballed into a much different outcome.
