GREEN BAY, Wis. – – In their first outdoor game of the season, the Detroit Lions showed they could thrive even in dire conditions as they took command of the NFC North.
Kerby Joseph scored on a 27-yard interception return, and the Lions converted two fourth downs into touchdowns as they continued one of the best starts in franchise history by beating the Green Bay Packers 24-14 on a rainy and windy Sunday.
“We were built for this, man,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “Just because we’re playing indoors, it doesn’t matter. We can play anywhere. We can play in the snow. We can play in the rain.” can play in the mud. That’s us. We are built to win.”
The NFC North-leading Lions are 7-1 for the first time since 1956. They withstood safety Brian Branch’s takedown in the second quarter to win at Lambeau Field for the third straight year, the first time they’ve done so on a run. of six consecutive races at Lambeau from 1986-91.
By the time Jared Goff took a knee to finish his last efficient game, the Lions fans in the stands were chanting his name.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Goff, who completed his first 11 passes and completed 18 of 22 for 145 yards and a touchdown. “I’ve heard it all. Our fans are great. They came out and showed themselves again. It’s a lot of fun to play for a team with a fan base that travels around.”
Over the past six games, Goff has completed 82.8% of his passes and has a passer rating of 140.1, both bests of any six games in NFL history.
Detroit took the lead for good on the first play of the second quarter when Goff Amon-Ra hit St. Brown for a three-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. Jahmyr Gibbs capped the opening drive of the second half by rushing for a 15-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1 to extend the Lions’ lead to 24-3.
Green Bay’s Jordan Love went 23 of 39 for 273 yards with an interception, a week after leaving in the third quarter of a 30-27 win at Jacksonville with a groin injury. Jayden Reed had five catches for 113 yards and Josh Jacobs rushed for 95 yards.
The Packers (6-3) outgained the Lions 411 yards to 261, but missed several opportunities. Green Bay drove inside the Detroit 35-yard line on three possessions without scoring. The Packers’ four trips to the red zone resulted in one touchdown and two field goals.
“They played a clean game, much cleaner than we did,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “I was disappointed with the number of penalties and self-inflicted wounds we had. You can’t do that against a really good football team.”
The game started late in the second quarter, with Detroit’s starting safeties playing a key role.
Green Bay trailed 7–3 when Branch was ejected for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Packers receiver Bo Melton on an incomplete pass near the Green Bay sideline. Branch also received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for gesturing to the Lambeau Field crowd, giving the Packers a first down at the Detroit 32 instead of facing third-and-20 from their own 38.
But the Packers failed to take advantage of the situation. Their drive ended when Brandon McManus sent a 46-yard field goal attempt wide left. Detroit marched down the field on the next series and extended the lead to 10–3 on Jake Bates’ 27-yard field goal.
Green Bay got the ball back with less than a minute left in the half. Facing second and second from Green Bay’s 38, Love rolled under pressure. Love’s pass was intended for Jacobs, but went straight to Joseph, who caught it with outstretched arms and ran down the Lions’ sideline toward the end zone.
“I didn’t see it when I threw it,” Love said. “I just saw Josh trying to get out of there. The ball didn’t go where I wanted it to go.”
Joseph’s pick-6 was his sixth interception of the season, tying Green Bay’s Xavier McKinney for the NFL lead. He picked off a pass in five of Detroit’s last six games and became the first safety to intercept at least 14 passes in his first three seasons since Hall of Famer Ed Reed did so from 2002 to 2004.
“One thing I always tell myself is that I’m on the hunt for a gold jacket,” Joseph said. “I always say to the guys, ‘What do you want your legacy to be?’ Every time I’m there, I put it on tape that this is who I am and this is who I’m going to become.
Joseph has four interceptions against the Packers.
Green Bay opened the game with a 14-play drive that lasted nearly eight minutes, but settled for McManus’ 30-yard field goal.
Then the Lions scored the next 24 points to take control.
“We’re supposed to be the umbrella team that can’t play outside,” Goff said. “We have to be the team that can only win one way. I think we showed a few times that we can win in more ways than one. We are chameleons.”
Packers DL Colby Wooden and Lions LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin suffered shoulder injuries. The Packers played without CB Jaire Alexander (knee), S Evan Williams (hamstring) and C Josh Myers (wrist). The Lions were without DL Josh Paschal (illness) or LB Malcolm Rodriguez (ankle).
Lions: Next Sunday night at Houston.
Packers: After a bye, in Chicago on Nov. 17.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
