Pick the top play from the Packers’ week 12 victory over the Lions

Jordan Love and the Packers put on a Thanksgiving show to remember vs. the division leading Lions

Moon phase worshipers rise up. This is your time. The waxing gibbous has delivered us a victory and it is time to pay our respects. Jordan Love and his new moon-given powers gave Packers fans much to be thankful for on Thursday with a 29-22 win over the Detroit Lions. After a tepid start to his first season as an NFL starter, Love has come on the last 4 weeks and began to sway hearts and minds, possibly even preparing some crow for us doubters to eat.

The Packers were on fire out of the gate in Detroit with a shot play to Christian Watson that was the product of Love’s belief despite pregame doubts from Matt LaFleur. The offense put the “can’t play first halves” allegations to rest once and for all as Love looked calm and confident despite missing Dontayvion Wicks, Aaron Jones, and Luke Musgrave.

The fast and furious start from the offense combined with a defensive touchdown meant the Lions could not ground and pound with their talented running back duo. With Jared Goff forced into obvious passing situations, their offense fell apart, leaving delicious Thanksgiving scraps for Rashan Gary to eat. The Lions took far too long to get something going at the end of the game, ensuring no miraculous comeback was in order. Their late game touchdown was of use to bettors only, as the Packers were never in danger. A wire to wire win against the division leader? Not too shabby at all. Let’s dive into the cornucopia of top play options this week.

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Love threads the needle to Jayden Reed

Love and Watson opened this one on a heater with a deep shot that Watson got up for. The two haven’t connected cleanly on one of these yet, but the signs of life are extremely encouraging. Jayden Reed is officially on fire by NBA Jam rules after he beat Brian Branch inside for the TD and caught this one in a traffic jam. Love absolutely lasered this one in to a small window, just narrowly missing Christian Watson’s back.

The Lions went right down the field by way of Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta in response, but the Packers’ poor kicking luck briefly went the other way as the Lions missed the extra point, securing the Packers’ lead.

Malik Heath got the party started on the next drive, giving the Packers another first down with a 16 yard grab. Love and Christian Watson put the offense into position for Tucker Kraft to finish the drive with the first touchdown of his NFL career. Kraft held his own against Aidan Hutchinson just long enough for Love to sell the fake before shedding the star edge rusher to release wide open into the flat.

Jonathan Owens breaks the game open

Jared Goff’s response was… less than ideal. Goff quickly fumbled the ball as his arm was hit by Rashan Gary (who else?), with the ball popping right into the arms of Jonathan Owens, who ran it in for a touchdown. The Packers were up 20-6 and in complete control of a shell shocked Lions team.

The next drive… well he did it again. Karl Brooks forced and recovered the fumble this time, putting the Packers in the red zone once again. Momentum slowed on 4th and 1 when AJ Dillon and Jordan Love ran into each other on a handoff, giving the Lions the ball deep in their own territory. The Packers escaped with no harm done after Goff missed LaPorta on a wide open 3rd and 2 at midfield.

Love got the ball out quick to Dillon on the next drive and leaped like no man his size should, bouncing off an Alex Anzalone tackle in mid air for a first down. On 3rd down in Detroit territory, Watson got tangled up (tackled?) and was unable to connect with Jordan Love in the end zone, leading to a punt.

After a few duds from both sides, the Packers received the ball at their own 44 yard line with the chance for one more play. Jayden Reed continued to come up in big moments, taking a Love pass down to the Lions’ 45, but Anders Carlson couldn’t knock the deep kick through.

The Lions got a boost to start the second half with a big Khalil Dorsey return. David Montgomery eventually punched in the touchdown and the two point conversion to bring the Lions within 9.

Christian Watson’s dagger

On the Lions’ next drive The Packers stuffed an inexplicable fake punt attempt on 4th and 5 and got the ball at the Lions’ 22. Love continued slinging it on 2nd and 17 and drilled Doubs from an awkward platform for 13 yards. Love’s best throw of the day may have come on this gorgeous over the shoulder ball to Christian Watson, who made a fantastic adjustment for a third quarter dagger.

The Lions found their run game in response as Goff’s drop backs were attacked by pressure all day. Their response drive was short lived, however, as Rashan Gary demolished Goff on 4th down for his 3rd sack and forced the fumble, leaving the Lions empty handed on 4th down for the fourth time.

After yet another fourth down stop with seven minutes left on the Green Bay 12, the Packers ended up punting, but not before Jordan Love’s 30 yard keeper deflated the Lions.

The Lions did put together one last drive, but a score with 41 seconds left was not enough. Jayden Reed secured the ensuing onside kick and the Packers left Detroit with a W, their first since December 13, 2020 and their first win against the Lions on any field since September 20, 2021.

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That’s it for this week’s top plays! The Packers are officially in wild card contention with a Minnesota Vikings loss on Monday night, an unimaginable thought just 4 weeks ago. We’ll be back next week to recap all the action from the Packers’ Sunday night matchup against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.