Jake Bates kicked a 22-yard field goal as time expired to give the host Detroit Lions a 20-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Jared Goff passed for 303 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jameson Williams. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught nine passes for 153 yards and Williams hauled in five for 91 yards. Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 116 yards on 29 carries for Detroit (4-2).
Jordan Love passed for 274 yards and two touchdowns for Green Bay (4-3), which had its three-game winning streak snapped. Josh Jacobs, activated off the NFL’s exempt list, rushed for 36 yards and caught five passes for 55 yards and a touchdown in his season debut.
The Lions drove 71 yards – highlighted by an 18-yard catch by Sam LaPorta and a 15-yard run by Gibbs along with a key first-down pickup by Gibbs in the final minute – to set up Bates’ game-winning kick against their NFC North rivals.
Detroit led 10-7 at halftime.
Green Bay came up empty during the game’s opening drive as Trey Smack missed a 26-yard field goal attempt wide right.
The Lions needed only six plays to drive 80 yards for their first score, a 16-yard scoring pass from Goff to Williams.
The Packers answered with a 12-play, 74-yard drive that Love finished with a 14-yard strike to Tucker Kraft.
Bates’ 40-yard field goal with 12:36 remaining in the half gave the Lions a 10-7 lead. Detroit drove 85 yards late in the half, but Gibbs lost a fumble on the Packers’ 8-yard line.
A Goff fumble on the second play from scrimmage in the third quarter allowed the Packers to take their only lead. Green Bay cashed in with a 25-yard pass from Love to Jacobs to gain a 14-10 advantage.
The Lions regained the lead on their next possession as Goff capped an 80-yard march with a 10-yard pass over the middle to Williams.
Lions coach Dan Campbell lost a gamble after his team drove inside the Packers’ 10. Campbell went for it on fourth-and-5 from the 6, but Goff threw an incompletion intended for Williams.
Smack’s 43-yard field goal with 7:01 left tied the score at 17-17.
The Lions gambled and lost again on their next drive. On fourth-and-1 from their own 24, Gibbs was tackled for a 2-yard loss by Keisean Nixon.
The Lions defense held, then D.J. Wonnum got a fingertip on Smack’s 35-yard field-goal attempt to send it wide right with 3:21 to play.