SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 28, 2013
Lions 40, Packers 10: Matthew Stafford passed for 330 yards and three touchdowns and Calvin Johnson hauled in six passes for 101 yards and a score as Detroit pounded visiting Green Bay to win its traditional Thanksgiving Day game for the first time since 2003.
Reggie Bush atoned for an early fumble with 182 total yards - 117 rushing and 65 receiving - and ran for a touchdown, while Joique Bell added 94 yards and a TD on the ground for the Lions (7-5), who took a half-game lead over Chicago in the NFC North. Stafford completed 22-of-35 passes and threw touchdown passes to Johnson, Jeremy Ross and Kevin Ogletree to overcome two interceptions and a fumble.
Packers quarterback Matt Flynn struggled, going 10-for-20 for 139 yards with no touchdowns, an interception and two lost fumbles as Green Bay (5-6-1) remained winless since Aaron Rodgers was injured in Week 8. Detroit sacked Flynn seven times and held Green Bay to 126 total yards, 56 of which came on Flynn's completion to James Jones just after the two-minute warning.
It looked early on as if Detroit's Thanksgiving woes would continue, as Bush lost a fumble inside the Green Bay 10-yard line to thwart a scoring chance and Stafford was sacked and stripped for a defensive touchdown to give the Packers a 10-3 lead. It was all Lions from there, however, with Green Bay's offense stalling without Rodgers.
The Packers punted on four straight possessions then saw their next three series end with two turnovers and a safety. It was still a two-possession game when Ndamukong Suh sacked Flynn in the end zone with less than a minute left in the third quarter, and the Lions took the ensuing free kick and marched 58 yards in five plays with Bell scoring from the 1 to make it 33-10.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Packers RB Eddie Lacy was limited to 16 yards on 10 carries after averaging 94.4 rushing yards over the previous eight games. กญ Johnson has caught a touchdown pass in six of his seven career games on Thanksgiving, including five straight. กญ Detroit has held six straight opponents under 100 yards rushing.