“I feel like what we did in the second half was to be commended
Offence hums early before Packers hold off Lions 34
Offence hums early before Packers hold off Lions 34 27Genaro C. Armas, The Associated PressDetroit Lions’ Kyle Van Noy tackles Green Bay Packers’ Eddie Lacy during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)GREEN BAY, Wis. The timing is back for quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the rest of Green Bay’s offence.
The Packers’ pass defence might need a little work, though.
Rodgers threw for 205 yards and four touchdowns, including two in the first half to Jordy Nelson, and the Packers snapped out of their offensive funk before holding off the Detroit Lions for a 34 27 win Sunday.
Rodgers was 15 of 24, leading the Packers to touchdowns on their first three series. Nelson had 101 yards on six catches, returning to the form that made him one of the NFL’s best receivers before missing the 2015 season with a knee injury.
"Just got on the same page. Hitting Jordy for some big plays helps," Rodgers said. "Jordy and I connected. Whenever we’re doing that, it kind of opens other things up for the offence."
They moved the ball on the Lions’ short handed defence with ease in the first half. The Packers (2 1) led 31 10 at halftime before the Lions slowly chipped away.
Marvin Jones’ 35 yard touchdown catch with 3:34 left got Detroit (1 2) within seven. But Rodgers had a
JamesStarksJersey critical 11 yard run on third and 8 from the Packers 27 with 3:22 left to effectively seal the win.
Jones had a career high 205 yards on six receptions. Matthew Stafford passed for 385 yards and three scores with one interception for the Lions, who held advantages in total yardage (418 324) and time of possession, holding the ball for 35 minutes.
But the Packers burned the secondary with big plays to build a big lead, and Eddie Lacy ran for 103 yards on 17 carries.
"Obviously it was a difficult situation. We put ourselves in that situation. On offence, we didn’t score enough
TyMontgomeryJersey points in the in the first half," Stafford said. "I’m proud of the guys for fighting back."
PACK IS BACK
So much for the fuss over the Packers’ struggling offence.
Coach Mike McCarthy and Rodgers heard questions about the out of sync
RandallCobbJersey passing game following the 17 14 loss last week to Minnesota.
Now the Packers head into an early bye week with renewed confidence after
MorganBurnettJersey a successful opener at Lambeau Field. The Packers’ defence was also missing four starters, including linebacker Clay Matthews.
Stafford found holes over the middle of the field.
But Green Bay’s staunch run defence had another
AaronRodgersjerseycheap big day, albeit against a Lions offence playing without injured tailback Ameer Abdullah. Detroit managed just 50 yards on 23 carries, with a team high 38 yards on 10 carries by Dwayne Washington.
The Packers also played without nose tackle Letroy Guion, safety Morgan Burnett and defensive lineman linebacker Datone Jones, who were all out with injuries.
JUST JONES
Jones gave the Lions a boost going into halftime with a 73 yard touchdown pass from Stafford to get Detroit within 31 10. He stiff armed cornerback Josh Hawkins before sprinting untouched 45 yards into the end zone.
"I feel like what we did in the second half was to be commended, but obviously we didn’t get it done," Jones said. "The first half, we didn’t play up to our standards and we came back and we fought, but we ran out of time and it wasn’t enough."