TNF Week 4 Highlights: Lions defeat Packers 34-20, tops NFC North

Lions defeat Packers at Lambeau Field on TNF to take control of the NFC North | NFL | UNDISPUTED

In Week 4 of Thursday Night Football, the Detroit Lions claimed a 34-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers, positioning themselves to the top of the NFC North.

The Lions took control early, amassing a 24-point lead by halftime at Lambeau Field. Despite the Packers scoring the first two touchdowns of the second half and closing the gap to 10 points, the Lions ultimately secured a 34-20 win.

With a 3-1 record, the Lions now lead the NFC North, ahead of the 2-2 Packers and the 0-3 Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur described the start as “humiliating” and said, “We got our butt kicked. They outplayed us. They dominated us.”

Rob Demovsky of ESPN highlighted that the Packers faced issues with their offensive line, especially in pass protection and creating running lanes, particularly when LaFleur called for running plays.

The Packers’ defense, especially in stopping the run, has consistently performed poorly under current defensive coordinator Joe Barry. This season, the Packers allowed Atlanta’s rookie Bijan Robinson to rush for 124 yards in Week 2. Similarly, in the game against the Lions, David Montgomery rushed for 121 yards and scored three touchdowns against the Packers.

LaFleur expressed the Packers’ need for improvement in run defense and said they need “to do something different because it’s insane to do the same things over and over again and expect a different result.”

LaFleur praised the Lions’ offense, highlighting their robust offensive line and talented RBs like Jahmyr Gibbs and Montgomery.

In addition to the Lions’ impressive performance, the Packers faced challenges as they played without key members of their offensive line. David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins were sidelined due to knee injuries, and right tackle Zach Tom played despite his own knee injury.

On the offensive front, the Packers relied on Aaron Rodgers’ replacement, Jordan Love. He threw for a touchdown and ran for another as he attempted to lead a comeback for the Packers in the second half. He completed 23 of 36 passes for 246 yards but had two passes intercepted by Jerry Jacobs.

“I think just offensively as a whole we’ve just got to start faster,” Love said. “We don’t start fast and we kind of get behind and it’s hard running the ball. We get put in situations where you’ve got to throw the ball. So I think we’ve just got to start faster.”

Montgomery’s first win against the Packers

Montgomery, who previously played for the Chicago Bears for four seasons, had never defeated the Packers. However, with his new NFC North team, he capitalized on the opportunity, contributing to the Lions’ offense and helping them amass an early 27-3 lead against the Packers.

“It just felt real different coming in with the group of guys that I’m with,” said Montgomery.

Montgomery expressed his gratitude for winning with his teammates and said that it was significant for him. He emphasized that he would tell his son that he had defeated the Packers.

Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown complimented Montgomery, saying the 26-year-old “was balling.”

“We can count on him whenever. Give him the ball, he’s going to make something happen,” St. Brown said.

Before this victory, Montgomery had missed the Lions’ win against the Atlanta Falcons due to a thigh bruise. He achieved a historic feat by becoming the first Lion to score three rushing touchdowns against the Packers and the first Lions player to exceed 100 yards rushing with three TDs since James Stewart in 2000.