Playoffs in sight for Packers
DETROIT – The Detroit Lions used to take a lot of pride in playing on Thanksgiving.
Lately, the Lions have been getting embarrassed when the nation tunes in to watch them.
Aaron Rodgers matched a career high with three touchdown passes and Charles Woodson grabbed two of his team’s four interceptions, giving the Green Bay Packers a 34-12 win over Detroit.
The Lions have lost six straight games on the holiday, setting a franchise record, by an average of 23.2 points and eight of nine in the showcase game. The latest loss was an emotional setback for Detroit (2-9) four days after Matthew Stafford’s gutsy play capped its biggest comeback win since 1957.
“It’s a different feeling in this locker room — especially on national television to come out like that,” Detroit center Dominic Raiola said.
Before its recent slide, Detroit won four straight and nine of 12 on Thanksgiving before ex-general manager Matt Millen arrived in 2001 and made a lackluster franchise awful.
Green Bay (7-4) has won three straight since losing to Tampa Bay to improve its postseason prospects.
“We can’t talk about the playoffs yet,” Packers receiver Donald Driver said.
Stafford, playing with a sore non-throwing shoulder, threw one touchdown pass and four interceptions. He threw five TD passes in Sunday’s win over Cleveland after trailing by 21.
The Lions looked as if they were building off their rare momentum by recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff and with Stafford’s TD pass to Calvin Johnson.
But the Packers scored 27 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to turn the game into a familiar rout.
“We had to dig deep,” Rodgers said. “There’s a lot of resolve in this team and I’m confident in our team moving forward.”
Woodson returned his second interception for a score late in the game and struck a Heisman Trophy pose in the end zone. Woodson won the award in 1997 while leading Michigan to a national championship.
Woodson also forced and recovered a fumble and had a sack, capping an afternoon that included an announcement of his $2 million gift to the new University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital.
Rodgers was 28 of 39 for 348 yards and connected with Driver, Donald Lee and James Jones for scores. He has played Detroit four times and those passing totals rank among the top eight in his career.
Packers 34, Lions 12
| Green Bay | 0 | 13 | 14 | 7 | — | 34 |
| Detroit | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | — | 12 |
Det—C.Johnson 1 pass from Stafford (Hanson kick)
GB—D.Lee 7 pass from Rodgers (Crosby kick)
GB—FG Crosby 20
GB—FG Crosby 25
GB—Driver 7 pass from Rodgers (Crosby kick)
GB—J.Jones 21 pass from Rodgers (Crosby kick)
Det—Delmas safety
Det—FG Hanson 22
GB—Woodson 38 interception return (Crosby kick)
| GB | Det | |
| First downs | 20 | 16 |
| Total Net Yards | 422 | 272 |
| Rushes-yards | 27-80 | 23-73 |
| Passing | 342 | 199 |
| Punt Returns | 3-8 | 1-14 |
| Kickoff Returns | 3-60 | 8-155 |
| Interceptions Ret. | 4-44 | 0-0 |
| Comp-Att-Int | 28-39-0 | 20-43-4 |
| Sacked-YL | 1-6 | 2-14 |
| Punts | 3-44.0 | 3-51.3 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 2-2 | 1-1 |
| Penalties-Yards | 7-57 | 3-28 |
| Time of Poss. | 33:59 | 26:01 |
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Green Bay, Grant 20-61, Jackson 6-14, Rodgers 1-5. Detroit, K.Smith 18-43, Stafford 3-21, Brown 1-5, Morris 1-4.
PASSING—Green Bay, Rodgers 28-39-0-348. Detroit, Stafford 20-43-4-213.
RECEIVING—Green Bay, Driver 7-142, Jennings 4-53, J.Jones 4-35, D.Lee 4-22, Grant 3-42, Finley 3-25, Hall 2-10, Nelson 1-19. Detroit, FitzSimmons 5-38, K.Smith 4-46, Heller 3-23, Northcutt 2-51, Morris 2-16, C.Johnson 2-10, B.Johnson 1-17, Pettigrew 1-12.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—Green Bay, Crosby 43 (WR). Detroit, Hanson 54 (WR).