GREEN BAY, Wis. — A red-hot start for the Detroit Lions ended in an even hotter seat for coach Matt Patricia. The team coughed up its second double-digit lead in as many weeks, getting obliterated on the road by the Green Bay Packers, 42-21 on Sunday.
Through the first quarter, things were actually looking pretty good for the Lions.
Taking the opening kickoff, Detroit efficiently drove down the field to grab an early lead. Quarterback Matthew Stafford connected on all three of his throws, including a 29-yard catch-and-run by tight end T.J. Hockenson, but it was the ground game that polished off the series. Kerryon Johnson took three straight handoffs in the red zone, punching it in from a yard out on the third to give the Lions a quick 7-0 edge.
The Packers responded with a field goal, converting a fourth-and-6 near midfield before kicker Mason Crosby banged home a 43-yard boot.
Detroit countered the jab with a stiff uppercut, impressively marching the length of the field again. Two third-down conversions set up a 25-yard run by Adrian Peterson into the red zone. Stafford then found Marvin Jones from four yards out on third-and-goal to extend the lead, 14-3.
But it was all downhill from there.
The Packers quickly chopped the lead back to four with a nine-play, 70-yard touchdown drive. Running back Aaron Jones was the focal point of the offense on the series, gaining 45 yards on four carries and two receptions, including a 7-yard score to cap the action.
After the two sides traded punts through the middle of the second quarter, the Packers grabbed their first lead of the game late in the first half. Aided by back-to-back 15-yard penalties committed by Lions safety Will Harris, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers connected with tight end Robert Tonyan from 11 yards out to put the Packers up, 17-14.
The Lions had a chance to tie the game heading into the locker room, but Matt Prater sent a 57-yard field goal attempt wide right as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Coming out of the half, the Packers wasted little time blowing the game open. On the first snap of the third quarter, Jones burst up the gut for a 75-yard touchdown run. Lions linebackers Jarrad Davis and Jamie Collins were well blocked to open the lane and Harris took a bad angle, resulting in the long score.
The suddenly listless Lions offense sputtered with their first possession of the half, going three-and-out, punting the ball back to the Packers.
Green Bay did its part to temporarily keep Detroit in the game, blowing a red zone opportunity with a penalty, two drops and a sack, but the Lions couldn’t take advantage of the gift. After getting the ball back on a punt, Stafford was intercepted on the first play of the ensuing drive.
The play broke down early after Peterson whiffed while attempting to block Packers defensive end Rashan Gary, forcing Stafford to rush his throw to Danny Amendola. Packers cornerback Chandon Sullivan read the play, jumped the route and picked the pass, returning it 7 yards for a touchdown.
The sequence put the Packers up three scores, 31-14, midway through the third quarter. Another Crosby field goal before the end of the frame, extended the edge to 20.
The Lions snapped the Packers’ 31-point run with a touchdown two minutes into the fourth quarter. Stafford delivered a bullet to Marvin Hall from 24 yards out, capping an eight-play, 75-yard drive, The score cut Detroit’s deficit to 13.
But any hopes of a rally were short-lived. The Packers needed seven plays to return to the end zone with Jones running it in from 14 yards out, putting an exclamation point on a career day for the back. His 168 yards rushing and 236 yards from scrimmage were both personal bests.
The Lions’ loss puts Patricia’s future with the franchise on shaky ground. The coach, who entered the season with an ultimatum from ownership to contend for the playoffs or lose his job, now faces the unenviable uphill climb of digging out of an 0-2 hole, compounded by the fact both defeats came at the hands of division opponents.
The Lions will try to get on track next week when they travel to Arizona to play the Cardinals.
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