What We Learned About the Lions: The Lions somehow survived the Packers in one of the drunkest games you’ll ever see, and Brian Branch made his return count
Detroit turned a potential blowout into a fourth-quarter mess with two fumbles, red-zone failures and another rough day getting off the field — then Branch, D.J. Wonnum and Jake Bates helped finish a huge divisional win.
This was an absolutely drunk game if there ever was one. The Detroit Lions should have won by easily two to three touchdowns. Instead, they skated out with a 20-17 win off a Jake Bates game-winning field goal.
The Nightmare on Brush Street
The Lions were firmly in the driver’s seat at the end of the first half. They were cruising down the field, ready to go up 17-7. Then Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled the ball. Luckily, there wasn’t enough time left on the clock for the Packers to do something.
OK, that’s rough, but you come out and score on the opening drive of the second half, and you’re still in charge. Then Cade Mays has a bad snap, and the Packers pick up that fumble and score to take the lead. Just an unreal turn of events for Detroit. This is how a team goes from a possible 24-7 lead to being down 14-10 in a matter of moments.
Then later in the third, after taking the lead, the Lions miss again in the red zone on a drive that could have put them ahead 24-14. Then in the fourth quarter, the Lions had three attempts to gain one yard, and they just couldn’t do it.
Overcoming the Nightmare
Krueger never wins in the end, and in this case, the Packers didn’t either. After the Lions couldn’t convert on that one yard, their defense showed up, and so did some luck. Trey Smack had his 35-yard go-ahead field goal attempt partially blocked by D.J. Wonnum, and the Lions took over the ball and never gave it back. They need to be better against Minnesota next week, but a divisional win is a divisional win.
Did Brian Branch make it the loudest it’s ever been in Ford Field?
I was here for the Lions’ win over the Rams in the 2023 playoffs, and I never thought that anything would top that. Then, in his first game back in almost a year, Brian Branch picked off Jordan Love, and Ford Field came absolutely unglued to an extent that felt unsafe for the human ear. What a very cool moment to see live.
Lions’ defense just refuses to get off the field
You can see the makings of this defense working. Then third and fourth down come, and it’s like everyone forgets what they were doing here. The Lions could not get off the field to save their lives. The Packers were three-for-three in the first half on fourth down until the Lions finally got a stop in the red zone on the fourth attempt. The bigger problem is that the plays that won those conversions for the Packers were almost always an explosive. If the Lions can tamp some of this down even just a little bit, they’ll be so much better off. Until then, their defense is going to get one hell of a workout every week because they’re staying on the field.
First-quarter woes be damned
The Lions’ offense has had documented issues in the first quarter this season. Coming into this game, the Lions had scored just one touchdown in the first quarter all season. In this game, they went right down the field and scored on the first drive and then set themselves up nicely to start the second quarter. Jared Goff threw four passes for 28, 16, 40, and 24 yards. This is the kind of thing the Lions need to continue.
Falling Down
No, I’m not talking about the 1993 Michael Douglas film, although that one is worth a watch; I’m talking about the number of Lions defenders who just kept falling down in the first quarter. Tyleik Williams fell twice in the first quarter. On both occasions, he had a shot at pressure; on one, he had a real shot at a sack. Then, on the Packers’ first touchdown, Jack Campbell fell in coverage. Hey man, sometimes people fall.
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