Nov 6, 2017; Green Bay, WI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Photo Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Detroit Lions found the perfect remedy for a three-game losing streak. The Green Bay Packers.
Matthew Stafford threw his 200th career touchdown pass as the Lions beat the punchless Packers 30-17 on Monday night.
Stafford passed for 361 yards and two touchdowns. Golden Tate had seven catches for 113 yards and Marvin Jones had seven receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns.
A bye week did nothing to help the Packers. With Aaron Rodgers on injured reserve and Brett Hundley at quarterback, they have lost three in a row.
Before Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone, the Packers were averaging 27 points per game. In the three games with Hundley, they have scored 10, 17 and 17 points in losses to the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Lions.
Detroit (4-4) put the game away on a drive spanning the third and fourth quarters. Stafford’s 25-yard completion to Jones on third-and-10 was the key play, making the Lions 6 of 9 on third down.
On first-and-goal at the 1, Packers linebacker Blake Martinez stripped the ball from running back Ameer Abdullah, but right tackle Ricky Wagner recovered.
The Packers kept the Lions out of the end zone on second and third down, too, before Matt Prater’s 19-yard field goal made it 20-3.
Still, the 17-point lead was too much for the Packers (4-4).
Hundley didn’t surpass 100 passing yards until a 46-yard catch and run by Randall Cobb about four minutes into the fourth quarter. Hundley’s 1-yard sneak pulled Green Bay within 20-10 with 9:52 remaining.
Detroit immediately answered with a perfectly timed screen to running back Theo Riddick against a Packers blitz, turning into a gain of 63 yards. One play later, Stafford threw his second touchdown pass of the night to Jones to make it 27-10.
At that point, the 77,575 fans in attendance fled for the exits.
NOTES: Detroit’s Matthew Stafford is the fourth quarterback younger than 30 to throw his 200th touchdown passes. … For the second consecutive week, Detroit LT Greg Robinson was inactive. Brian Mihalik got the start. Mihalik exited with an undisclosed injury in the second quarter and was replaced by Emmett Cleary. With starter Taylor Decker on the physically unable to perform list, Cleary was the Lions’ fourth-stringer at the position. … WR Marvin Jones, who caught six passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns in last year’s game at Lambeau Field, has four touchdowns in four career games vs. Green Bay. … The Packers had their No. 1 offensive line together for the second time all season, but RT Bryan Bulaga sustained an injured right knee in the fourth quarter. … Green Bay QB Brett Hundley has thrown one touchdown pass in three games.
