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David Montgomery celebrates with fans after the Detroit Lions beat the Green Bay Packers.
CNN –
The Detroit Lions set an example for their season on Thursday evening with a clear victory over the Green Bay Packers.
Lions running back David Montgomery ran for 121 yards and three touchdowns as Detroit convincingly defeated its division rival 34-20 at Lambeau Field.
Montgomery’s performance was the standout result of a complete team victory for the Lions and highlighted the team’s playoff ambitions to the rest of the NFL.
With a road win over the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Lions have already demonstrated their ability to travel into difficult environments and pull off impressive victories. And Thursday’s win in Green Bay was another example of that.
“Send us anywhere. We’ll be ready,” Lions quarterback Jared Goff said after the win, according to detroitlions.com. “That’s how we’re structured.”
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Jared Goff celebrates the Detroit Lions’ victory over the Green Bay Packers.
For Montgomery personally, Thursday’s win and his performance were particularly more meaningful than for many of his teammates.
The 26-year-old was drafted into the NFL by the Chicago Bears in 2019 and had lost all seven of his games with the Bears against the Packers.
But in his first year with the Lions, he banished those demons with the best three-touchdown performance of his career.
“It felt completely different when I came in,” Montgomery said after the win, according to NFL.com. “With the group of guys that I’m with, like I said, I’m blessed.”
“To come here with these guys and get the sync, that’s big for me. I was able to tell my son that I beat the Packers. That’s why I’m happy to say that. I’m really excited to be part of this team.”
The Lions are 3-1 this season and will host the Carolina Panthers in Week 5.
It was a reality check for the Packers after a largely positive start to the 2023 season.
In the organization’s first year without Aaron Rodgers at quarterback since 2008, new starting quarterback Jordan Love has shown signs of promise but also plenty of room for growth.
And with a young roster and a highly regarded head coach in Matt LaFleur, the team has shown it has reason to be hopeful.
But Thursday’s performance was concerning for both the Packers’ coaches and fans, as the team suffered a 27-3 loss at home at halftime and was only able to gain 21 yards on offense, compared to 284 yards in Detroit.
LaFleur called the halftime performance “embarrassing” and wasn’t much more positive afterward, despite two second-half touchdowns that helped restore some of Green Bay’s dignity.
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Love reacts in the third quarter of the game against the Lions.
Love finished the game with a touchdown and two interceptions as he was under constant pressure from the Lions defense. Green Bay’s star running back Aaron Jones finished with just five carries for 18 rushing yards.
In his postgame media appearance, LaFleur said the performance was “very humbling,” adding that the Lions “really treated us badly at every stage.”
The Packers are 2-2 this season heading into Week 5 against the Las Vegas Raiders.