The Lions made a series of critical 4th-down decisions in Thursday’s thrilling 34-31 victory over the Packers, and those gambles ultimately proved decisive. Detroit scored twice on fourth-and-goal situations, but it was their boldest 4th-down conversion late in the game that denied Green Bay a shot at a comeback in the final moments.
Detroit entered halftime with a 17-7 lead, but the Packers stormed back early in the third quarter. They opened the half with a touchdown drive and capitalized on a Jared Goff interception to seize momentum. With a thin defense struggling, the Lions faced adversity but responded by trading blows in a back-and-forth second half. Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs played a significant role, scoring three touchdowns to keep his team in contention.
In the final minutes, with the score tied at 31, Detroit’s offense moved down the field so effectively that they had to slow things down to burn more clock. Two errors almost derailed their efforts: first, a play ended with 2:01 remaining, forcing another snap before the two-minute warning. Then, a holding penalty pushed them back to the edge of field goal range.
Despite the setbacks, the Lions regained most of the lost yardage and faced a crucial fourth-and-inches with less than a minute remaining. Rather than kicking a field goal and leaving time for Jordan Love and the Packers, Campbell made the gutsy call to go for it. David Montgomery took the handoff from a stumbling Jared Goff and powered forward for the first down, setting up Jake Bates’ game-winning field goal.
The victory extended Detroit’s winning streak to 11 games and clinched the team’s second consecutive playoff berth — a feat they haven’t achieved since the 1993-1995 seasons. With a 12-1 record, the Lions remain firmly in control of the NFC North.
The Packers (9-4) are still well-positioned for a playoff spot, but their chances of winning the division are all but gone.
The key highlights from Thursday’s game. Here’s a recap of the most significant moments.
