Rob Demovsky
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Rob Demovsky
ESPN staff writer
- Rob Demovsky is an NFL reporter for ESPN covering the Green Bay Packers. He has covered the Packers since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2013. Demovsky was twice named Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year by the NSSA. You can follow him on Twitter at @RobDemovsky.
Eric Woodyard
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Eric Woodyard
ESPN
- Eric Woodyard covers the Detroit Lions for ESPN. He joined ESPN in September 2019 as an NBA reporter for the Midwest region before transitioning to his current role in April 2021. The Flint, Michigan native is a graduate of Western Michigan University and has authored/co-authored three books: Wasted, Ethan’s Talent Search and All In: The Kelvin Torbert Story. He is the proud parent of a son, Ethan. You can follow him on Twitter: @E_Woodyard
September 28, 2023, 11:29 p.m. ET
GREEN BAY, Wis. – In Thursday night’s NFC North showdown between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, the Lions jumped out to a quick lead and rarely looked back. Detroit took an 11-point lead in the first quarter and expanded it to 24 points by halftime.
After the Packers scored the first two touchdowns of the second half and tied the game within 10 points, the Lions eventually pulled away with a 34-20 victory.
The Lions are atop the NFC North at 3-1, ahead of the Packers at 2-2 and the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears at 0-3.
Detroit Lions
There’s a new sheriff in town. After another big win over the Packers at Lambeau Field, the 3-1 Lions are well on their way to securing their first NFC North title. Building a 24-point lead in the first half helped the Lions extend their division win streak to six — and four in a row against Green Bay. Detroit matched the franchise’s longest winning streak in the division in the Super Bowl era (1983, 1995) with coach Dan Campbell turning the tide.
Describe the game in two words: Intestinal check. Both the offense and defense held up their end of the bargain in a dominant first half, but Detroit’s offense was shut down in the third quarter as the Packers got within 10 to start the fourth before finally sealing the deal with a strong Graduation sealed a hostile environment.
Running back David Montgomery scored at least one rushing touchdown in his first three games as a Lion. Despite missing Week 3 with a hamstring injury, the former Bears running back picked up where he left off with two of his three rushing touchdowns before halftime. He has seamlessly taken over the role of former Lions running back Jamaal Williams, who now plays in New Orleans and broke Hall of Famer Barry Sanders’ team mark for rushing touchdowns in a single season with 17 in 2022. Montgomery had two rushing touchdowns in seven career games against the Packers.
QB breakdown: What started with an ugly drive – Goff was intercepted by Packers safety Rudy Ford in the first two minutes – quickly turned around on the next drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. Goff tore Green Bay apart at times, finishing the game with 210 passing yards, 1 TD and 1 INT while completing 19 of 28 attempts. Goff is now 5-1 against the Packers in his career.
Next game: vs. Carolina Panthers (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, October 8)
Green Bay Packers
Maybe the Packers really aren’t the kings of the NFC North anymore. Not if they keep losing to the Lions.
It wasn’t just that the Packers lost their fourth straight game to the once-weak Lions. It was that Lambeau Field laughed them off in the first half. And although they showed some fight after the break, it was an ugly defeat.
Any number of statistics can explain how bad of a start it was for the Packers, but here’s one: Their 21 yards rushing in the first half were the fewest of any NFL team in the first half of a game this season, even worse than the Jets’. 39 yards in Week 1. And it was the Packers’ lowest yardage output in a half since Dec. 12, 1982, when they rushed for 19 yards in the first half of a 30-10 loss to the Lions.
It’s a good thing the Packers pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback against the New Orleans Saints five days earlier, otherwise they would be in a 1-3 hole. As it stands, they are 2-2 in the division and two games behind the Lions (3-1).
Biggest hole in the game plan: There was certainly more than one of those, but if we have to pick one: The Packers had running back Aaron Jones, their most dynamic offensive player, for the first time since his 127-yard performance in the season opener, and yet they had him didn’t get the ball until nearly two minutes into the second quarter. To that point, the Packers had a total of 1 yard of offense on their first four possessions. They were already down 24-3 when Jones first touched the ball. Meanwhile, Jordan Love started the game 1-for-7 passing and one interception.
QB collapse: Love has done his best work playing out from the back the last two weeks. Five days after he led an 18-point fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Saints, he showed similar fight against the Lions. On the first drive of the second half, he hustled wide receiver Christian Watson, hit wide receiver Jayden Reed with a deep ball and ran in for a touchdown. His numbers ended up being halfway decent (23 of 36, 246 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs plus a rushing TD), but in the end they were empty yards.
Promising trend: Watson’s return bodes well for the offense. His first catch of the season after missing the first three games with a hamstring injury went for 24 yards on a deep crosser. He finished the drive with a wide-open 1-yard touchdown catch. Next game: at the Las Vegas Raiders (8:15 p.m. ET, Monday, October 9)