Veteran Safety Leads Packers’ Defensive Charge in Thanksgiving Rout of Lions

Getty Jonathan Owens crosses into the end zone after returning a fumble for a touchdown at Ford Field on November 23, 2023.

Jonathan Owens hasn’t found himself in the end zone since his high school football days at Christian Brothers College High School in Missouri.

The sixth-year safety’s valiant return was just one of many things the Green Bay Packers were thankful for on Thanksgiving this year. They embarked for Detroit on Wednesday with sights fixated on a Lions team that, once upon a time, strolled into Lambeau Field earlier this season and mercilessly embarrassed Matt LaFleur’s squad.

The Packers returned the favor on Thursday and Owens’ contributions served as one of many side dishes in a complete team effort that saw the Lions get carved apart like a turkey.

“It just feels so good,” Owens told Packers.com after the 29-22 victory. “To do it on a national stage like that, really make a statement against one of the better teams in the National Football League. They beat us last time — it just felt good to get a win on those guys. Haven’t beaten them in a few games; it felt good to do it at their place, quiet their crowd — they were very loud early.”

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Late in the first quarter and already boasting a 14-6 lead, the Packers’ star pass rusher, Rashan Gary, pressured quarterback Jared Goff into a hurried throw. The result wasn’t an incompletion due to his arm moving forward in the process of the throw, so it was ruled as a fumble that Owens promptly scooped up and returned 27 yards for a touchdown.

“I didn’t believe it. It didn’t feel like real life at first,” Owens recalled. “That was my first time being in the end zone since high school, so it was a great feeling.”

With Darnell Savage still on injured reserve — though, his 21-day practice window opened this past week — and Rudy Ford missing his second consecutive game with a biceps injury, the Packers were in dire need of stellar play from their reinforcements. Seventh-round rookie Anthony Johnson Jr. got the start on the back end opposite Owens and both players held up their end of the bargain. Johnson finished the game with eight tackles — seven of which were solo — and Owens led the team with 12.

Owens’ play was highlighted by his efforts in the running game. Pro Football Focus credited him with six tackles in that respect, including a team-high four run-stops. His ability to play without apprehension helped him fill multiple gaps — the average depth of his tackles was 3.7 yards. It was the kind of physicality the Packers needed on defense to a Dan Campbell-led rival that punched them in the mouth two months ago.

Just four days earlier, Owens brutally whiffed on a tackle of Los Angeles Chargers tight end Stone Smartt that turned into a 51-yard touchdown reception. LaFleur called Owens’ sharp turnaround ‘resilient.’

“You’re only as good as your last game,” he said. “Everybody’s going to make mistakes — how do you learn from them and how do you grow?”

Owens Bringing ‘Fast and Physical’ Attitude to the Defense

The Packers will have until their Monday Night Football date with the New York Giants — December 11 — to determine whether or not they’ll activate Savage to the 53-man roster. Even once he’s back in the lineup and Ford is available, they may have to consider keeping Owens heavily involved. He’s already played 56% of the team’s defensive snaps this season, according to Pro Football Reference, and if his play continues to ascend, it’s likely that number will rise along with it.

Owens’ arrival was one of a handful of transactions at the safety position for the Packers this past off-season. They signed Tarvarius Moore in March, brought aboard Johnson with the penultimate selection of their 13 draft picks in April and signed Owens in May. That doesn’t include re-signing Ford or Dallin Leavitt.

Moore was released in September, Leavitt was released this past week and Ford can’t shake the injury bug. Between Johnson and Owens, the Packers may have stumbled upon a couple of tone-setters for defensive coordinator Joe Barry’s unit.

“Just fast and physical, man. You want to bring an attitude on the field,” said Owens. “Other teams watch film, so it’s something for them to watch out for. They know if they’re coming through, I gotta get my pads down.

“It’s just an attitude to bring to the defense, especially when guys get back to that second level. You have to make sure you hit them and make sure they remember it.”