It didn’t start well. On the first drive of Week 4, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw his third interception in as many games. The return set up the Green Bay Packers in the red zone.
But after holding the Packers to a field goal, the Lions reeled off the next 27 points in the Thursday night contest. Behind the strong first-half bounce back, Detroit cruised to a 34-20 victory at Lambeau Field.
The win was Detroit’s fourth straight against Green Bay. It was also Detroit’s fourth win at Lambeau Field over the last nine seasons. Prior to that, the Lions went winless in 24 straight trips to Green Bay.
Goff was already a confident quarterback before September 28, but the victory seemed to embolden the veteran to send a message to the rest of the league.
“Send us anywhere. We’ll be ready,” Goff told reporters following the Week 4 win. “That’s the way we’re built.”
Lions Playing ‘Complimentary Football’
Besides the early interception, Goff played a stellar game. He averaged 7.5 yards per pass with a touchdown. That score came on the drive immediately after the Packers cashed in his interception for a field goal.
But the Lions didn’t just have superior quarterback play. They dominated the Packers in most aspects.
The Lions rushed for 211 yards and 3 touchdowns. In his return from injury, running back David Montgomery ran for 121 yards and scored all 3 of those touchdowns.
Goff was the focal point of Detroit’s offense in the first three weeks when the team won twice. During that stretch, the Lions’ only loss came in overtime.
But now opposing defenses have to be prepared to also stop the Lions ground attack.
In addition to Montgomery, rookie Jahmyr Gibbs shined with 40 yards on just 8 carries.
Goff attempted only 8 passes in the second half.
“When you are winning a game and you’re able to run it like we were, it changes everything for us,” Goff told reporters. “Being able to just kind of wear them out, wear them down, and also run clock.”
The Lions defense played very well too. The Packers finished with only 230 yards, including 27 rushing yards. Detroit also intercepted two passes.
Goff and the offense built a 24-point halftime lead with the defense allowing just 32 yards in the first half. While the Packers moved the ball more freely in the third and fourth quarters, the defense didn’t allow Green Bay to get within one possession.
“I think our defense kept us in the game and we weren’t forced to push it down the field as much as we may usually have to,” Goff said. “It was good.”
The Lions were already leading 17-3 when Jerry Jacobs intercepted Jordan Love in the second quarter. Two plays later, it was 24-3.
“It’s complimentary football. That’s what the good teams do,” Goff said. “I make a bad play, they hold them to three. They get a turnover, we score points. That type of stuff. It’s what the good teams to. Our defense played great.”
Lions Looking Poised To Go on a Run
With the Lions sitting at 3-1, they are living up to the preseason hype. With the way the upcoming schedule unfolds, they could go on a run over the next several weeks.
Detroit will face the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the next two weeks. Then the Lions will play the Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders prior to the bye week, and the Los Angeles Chargers and Chicago Bears before Thanksgiving.
Regardless of where each game is, Goff implied in his postgame press conference he expects his team to be competitive in all of them.
Although they lost in Week 3, the Buccaneers and Ravens are off to decent starts. But those other upcoming Lions opponents are struggling right now.
Things can change quickly in the NFL, especially with injures. With the upcoming schedule, though, the Lions have a chance to experience one of their best first-halves to a season in a long time.
Comments
Lions’ Jared Goff Delivers Message to Rest of NFL After Win at Lambeau Field