Green Bay48
Detroit25
Green Bay
Detroit
| Green Bay 48 | Detroit 25 |
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| September 14, 2008 | Ford Field-Attendance: 60,285 (65,000) | Time: 3:16 |
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| Scoring Summary |
| FIRST QUARTER | GB | DET |
| GB | TD | 2:06 | Aaron Rodgers pass completion to the right to James Jones for 9 yards for a touchdown. | 6 | 0 |
| GB | PAT | 2:06 | Mason Crosby extra point attempt is good. | 7 | 0 |
| SECOND QUARTER | GB | DET |
| GB | TD | 11:11 | Aaron Rodgers pass completion to the left to Donald Driver for 2 yards for a touchdown. | 13 | 0 |
| GB | PAT | 11:07 | Mason Crosby extra point attempt is good. | 14 | 0 |
| GB | TD | 6:47 | Aaron Rodgers pass completion to the right to Jordy Nelson for 29 yards for a touchdown. | 20 | 0 |
| GB | PAT | 6:47 | Mason Crosby extra point attempt is good. | 21 | 0 |
| DET | FG | 0:14 | Jason Hanson 38 yard field goal attempt is good. | 21 | 3 |
| THIRD QUARTER | GB | DET |
| DET | FG | 11:32 | Jason Hanson 49 yard field goal attempt is good. | 21 | 6 |
| DET | FG | 8:20 | Jason Hanson 53 yard field goal attempt is good. | 21 | 9 |
| GB | FG | 2:28 | Mason Crosby 25 yard field goal attempt is good. | 24 | 9 |
| FOURTH QUARTER | GB | DET |
| DET | TD | 13:17 | Jon Kitna pass completion to the right to Calvin Johnson for 38 yards for a touchdown. | 24 | 15 |
| DET | PAT | 13:17 | Jason Hanson extra point attempt is good. | 24 | 16 |
| DET | SY | 11:41 | Derrick Frost fumbles. Green Bay recovers, Derrick Frost returns 0 yards. Tackled in end zone for a Safety. | 24 | 18 |
| DET | TD | 7:41 | Jon Kitna pass completion to the right to Calvin Johnson for 47 yards for a touchdown. | 24 | 24 |
| DET | PAT | 7:41 | Jason Hanson extra point attempt is good. | 24 | 25 |
| GB | FG | 5:17 | Mason Crosby 39 yard field goal attempt is good. | 27 | 25 |
| GB | TD | 3:31 | Brandon Jackson rush to the right for 19 yards for a touchdown. | 33 | 25 |
| GB | PAT | 3:31 | Mason Crosby extra point attempt is good. | 34 | 25 |
| GB | TD | 3:09 | Jon Kitna pass to the right intercepted by Charles Woodson and returned 41 yards for a touchdown. | 40 | 25 |
| GB | PAT | 3:09 | Mason Crosby extra point attempt is good. | 41 | 25 |
| GB | TD | 2:07 | Jon Kitna pass to the middle intercepted by Nick Collins and returned 42 yards for a touchdown. | 47 | 25 |
| GB | PAT | 2:07 | Mason Crosby extra point attempt is good. | 48 | 25 |
| Statistics |
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| Team Stat Comparison |
| GB | DET | |
| 1st Downs | 19 | 15 |
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| 3rd down efficiency | 9-16 | 2-12 |
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| 4th down efficiency | 0-1 | 0-1 |
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| Total Yards | 447 | 311 |
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| Passing | 324 | 262 |
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| Comp-Att | 24-38 | 23-45 |
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| Yards per pass | 8.3 | 5.2 |
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| Rushing | 123 | 49 |
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| Rushing Attempts | 30 | 12 |
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| Yards per rush | 4.1 | 4.1 |
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| Penalties | 8-62 | 5-40 |
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| Sacks against | 1-4 | 5-20 |
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| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
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| Fumbles-lost | 3-1 | 1-0 |
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| Interceptions thrown | 0 | 3 |
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| Possession | 35:28 | 24:32 |
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DETROIT (AP) -Aaron Rodgers had Motor City flashbacks, watching the Green Bay Packers blow a big lead against the Detroit Lions.
There was a major difference: Rodgers was playing and Brett Favre was elsewhere.
Rodgers threw three touchdown passes in the first four drives of his second start, helping Green Bay build a big lead it needed in a 48-25 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Green Bay led 21-0 midway through the second quarter, but fell behind by a point with 7:41 left after Calvin Johnson caught his second TD in the fourth quarter.
The Packers went back ahead with a field goal on the ensuing drive, then turned the game back into the rout it had been with three straight interceptions.
Charles Woodson and Nick Collins returned two of the picks for touchdowns, giving Green Bay a lopsided lead again.
''It reminded me of last year,'' Rodgers said.
Last season in Detroit, Favre helped the Packers build a 34-12 lead in the fourth before holding off a rally.
Green Bay (2-0) certainly will not regret its decision any time soon to stick with Rodgers and trade Favre to the New York Jets after he came out of retirement. The Packers stayed committed to the first-round pick from 2005 despite mounting hype about Favre's possible return during the offseason.
''I think the summer only made our character stronger,'' Rodgers said.
Rodgers was 24-of-38 for 328 yards, three scores and a fumble in his first start on the road and his first fourth-quarter comeback.
''We just kept pushing the envelope and I think that speaks volumes about the coaches and everybody involved to have confidence with Aaron to stay aggressive,'' coach Mike McCarthy said.
Greg Jennings caught six passes for 167 yards, including a 60-yard gain to set up Mason Crosby's go-ahead field goal with 5:17 to go.
Donald Driver, James Jones and Jordy Nelson all had TD receptions from Rodgers.
''We have a lot of confidence that he's going to find whichever one of us is open,'' Jennings said.
The Lions are 0-2 for the fourth time since 2001, when Matt Millen took control as team president beginning a stretch of futility that has sunk the franchise to an NFL-worst 31-83 record.
Coach Rod Marinelli said it was ''unacceptable'' to fall behind 21-0.
''Then, not finishing after we fought back like that is unacceptable,'' Marinelli said.
Kitna was 21-of-41 for 276 yards, two TDs and three interceptions.
''Unfortunately when we needed it the most, I didn't get the job done,'' Kitna said.
Johnson finished with a career-high 129 yards receiving.
Rodgers took a step out of Favre's shadow in his highly anticipated debut last week and moved closer to establishing his own reputation in his first road game.
After a three-and-out, he stepped up in the pocket to avoid a sack, scrambled to the right and threw a sharp pass in the end zone to Jones.
Rodgers looked right and threw left on the next drive for a 2-yard pass to Driver.
He perfectly lofted a pass to Nelson for a 29-yard score to give the Packers a 21-0 lead with 6:47 left in the first half.
Jason Hanson kicked two field goals in the second quarter and another in the third to pull Detroit within 12 points.
Johnson scored on a 38-yard reception, Green Bay punter Derrick Frost let a snap sail through his hands, and Johnson had 47-yard TD to put Detroit ahead 25-24.
But as happened last week in Atlanta - where the Lions also fell behind 21-0 - Johnson's spectacular showing came in a loss as the Packers made the key plays late in the game.
''We fought back to get back into the game, and I congratulated them for that, but this league is about winning,'' Marinelli said. ''Big-money players are the ones that make plays at the end of those games.''
Can it get any worse for the honolulu blue and silver? After falling behind for the second straight game 21-0, the Lions battled back thanks in part to Calvin Johnson's two touchdown receptions. With the crowd on its feet all the Defense needed to do was get a stop. But, a 60 yard pass play helped setup the go ahead field goal for the Packers. When the Lions got the ball pack I said out loud "here comes a Kitna interception." Sure enough the very next pay - a Kitna interception. The rest of the game was a free fall as Kitna threw two more interceptions which were returned for touchdowns. The Offense and Defense looked good at times but far too often had mental breakdowns that resulted in another crushing loss to the Packers. With a trip to the West Coast on the horizon and Mike Martz licking his chops, I wouldn't be suprised at all to see the Lions fall to 0-3 and the "Fire Millen" hounds will be out in full force like they were today in the second half.
Offense: --- D-. The Offense failed to do anything for most of the game. The first half saw Calvin and Roy have two drive crushing drops. The running game was non-existant as Kevin Smith had only 10 carries for 40 yards. But, when you fall behind 21-0 and have a crappy offensive line, it doesn't make a difference who is in the backfield. Once Kitna hit Calvin Johnson for two second half touchdowns to give the Lions the lead midway through the fourth, on the following three possessions, Kitna through interceptions. Haven't we all seen this before? I think its safe to say that Kitna's time in Detroit is over as is the 2008 season.
Defense: --- D-. Nice job by the Defense to give up 21 straight points in the first half for the second straight game. The secondary, which was supposed to be improved over last year, has been just darn right atrocious. Still, the Defense made some key stops in the second half that gave the Lions a chance at the comeback. But, as the story usually goes, the Defense failed when the Lions had their first lead of the season and on the ensuing drive gave up a touchdown on a 3rd and 1 which sealed the Lions fate. The bottom line is the Tampa Bay players brought here are over the hill and not the same players they once were. The Defense is going to struggle for most of the games like they did last year in the second half of the season.
Special Teams: --- B. Hanson had three field goals and continues to be the only consistant Lion player thoughout the years. Nick Harris had some lousy punts but had a few within the 20 yard line. The return game was better than last week but still nothing like what it should be.
Coaching: --- F. There are NO excuses for the Lions to fall behind 21-0 for the second straight game. Some of that blame has to fall on the coaches. For whatever reason, Marinelli's message is not getting through to this team. But, the more I think about it, its the lack of talent more than anything else. It should be quite intriguing to see what Mike Martz has in store for the Lions next week.
Overall: --- F. After making a miraculous comeback from 21 down the Lions self destructed mainly thanks to Kitna's three fourth quarter interceptions. It was a game of ups and downs - chanting "Fire Millen" one minute and watching a future pro bowler in Calvin Johnson the other. The bottom line is this team is 0-2 when a lot of people, myself included, had predicted them to be 2-0 at this point. What appeared to be a winnable game next week in San Francisco is now one the Lions will probably lose. The 49'ers shocked the Seahawks on the road behind (gulp) J.T. O'Sullivan who followed Martz to San Francisco. If the Lions start off 0-3 against three teams they were supposed to beat, all i'm going to say is this could very well be the uglist Lions season under the Millen era. Will it be enough to get Millen sacked? Probably not if the old geaser William Clay Ford still has a say.
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