Packers extend Lions' Thanksgiving Day misery as Jordan Love excels

DETROIT — Turns out, quarterback Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers‘ offense were just getting started last week.

They came out of Sunday’s win over the Chargers feeling like they had put together their best offensive performance of the season. That paled in comparison to how Love & Co. started their 29-22 Thanksgiving win over the Detroit Lions.

If Love wasn’t convincing last week because he did it against the 31st-ranked defense in the NFL, how about this against the first-place Lions’ top-10 defense? He was 22-for-32 for 268 yards yards and three touchdowns without an interception, adding 39 rushing yards.

This was unlike any of the Packers’ wins this season. They got rolling when Love hit Christian Watson on a 53-yard bomb on the game’s opening play. It was Love’s first career completion with 50 or more air yards, according to ESPN Stats & Information. It was also the most yards by any player on a team’s first offensive play from scrimmage in a game since Week 13 of 2022 (Trent Sherfield’s 75-yard TD for Miami against the 49ers).

The Packers had scored 20 or fewer points in seven of their first 10 games. They scored 20 in the first quarter against the Lions (one was a defensive touchdown).

It might be a tad early to call the Packers a playoff contender. But at 5-6, they’re at least in the picture. Even if they can’t knock off the Chiefs next Sunday night, the last portion of the schedule turns in their favor. After Kansas City, four of their final five opponents currently have losing records. Only the Vikings (6-5) are above .500.

Here are the most important things to know from Thanksgiving Day for both teams.

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Green Bay Packers

Describe the game in two words: Thanksgiving miracle. The Packers, who closed an 8.5-point underdog according to ESPN BET, tied for the third-largest upset on Thanksgiving since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Only the 1993 Dolphins (9.5-point underdogs at the Cowboys) and the 2015 Bears (9-point underdogs at the Packers) won as bigger underdogs on the holiday.

Pivotal play: When the Packers sniffed out the Lions’ fake punt on fourth-and-4 from their own 23-yard line in the third quarter — with Lukas Van Ness and Karl Brooks stopping Jalen Reeves-Maybin for no gain on a direct snap — it gave the Packers a short field. They took advantage with a four-play touchdown drive capped by Love to Watson for a 16-yard score that put the Packers up 29-15.

Promising trend: Rashan Gary went without a sack in four straight games from Weeks 7-10, but he now has four in the past two games including three against the Lions. Gary’s first sack caused the fumble that Jonathan Owens returned for a touchdown late in the first quarter. His third sack was also a strip-sack and a fumble that he recovered in the fourth quarter. And he did it on the same field where he tore the ACL in his right knee last season.

Promising trend II: Watson went without a touchdown catch in five straight games (Week 5, 7-10) but now has scored in two straight games. While last week’s touchdown was part of a two-catch, 21-yard day, Thursday’s 16-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter was part of a much bigger day. He caught five passes for a season-high 94 yards. He came into the game catching 43% of his targets, worst of any player in the league with at least 30 targets. — Rob Demovsky

Next game: vs. Chiefs (8:20 p.m. ET, Dec. 3)

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Detroit Lions

It was a nightmarish start for the Lions as they fell into a double-digit hole for the second consecutive game, trailing by 17 points at halftime. Unlike in their comeback against the Bears, this time they couldn’t recover. Despite closing as the favorites for the first time on Thanksgiving since 2016, Detroit fell by a 29-22 count.

Describe the game in two words: Déjà vu. The Lions haven’t celebrated a victory on Thanksgiving since 2016, as their holiday losing streak was extended to seven behind another poor performance. A victory on Nov. 24, 2016, over the Minnesota Vikings was the last time Detroit won on Thanksgiving Day.

Troubling trend: The secondary remains a concern. Detroit’s defense allowed the Packers to score multiple times in the first quarter for the first time this season as quarterback Jordan Love picked them apart. His favorite target was Watson, who had a big day one week after Chicago’s Justin Fields and DJ Moore feasted on the Lions’ defense in the same manner.

QB breakdown: Jared Goff lost three fumbles for the first time in his career, including two in the first quarter, which had also never happened. He also had three turnovers last week against the Bears, a game Detroit won 31-26 behind a late surge. Goff went 29-for-44 for 332 yards and two touchdowns against the Packers and was sacked three times while facing heavy pressure. — Eric Woodyard

Next game: at Saints (1 p.m. ET, Dec. 3)