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Rodgers, Packers bury Lions with late surge

Sep 14, 2008 - 10:22 PM DETROIT (Ticker) -- Brett Favre may be gone from Green Bay, but some things have not changed. Jon Kitna is still throwing interceptions for the Detroit Lions.

Kitna threw three in the fourth quarter Sunday - two of which were returned for touchdowns - as the Packers buried the Lions, 48-25, with a late surge.

Detroit (0-2) rallied from a 21-0 deficit to take a 25-24 lead on Kitna's 47-yard TD pass to Calvin Johnson with 7:51 remaining, but Green Bay responded with 24 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes. All but three of those points came after Kitna's interceptions.

"We usually don't get complacent," Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "You have to give Detroit credit. Their defense locked us down in the third quarter."

After Green Bay regained the lead for good, 27-25, on Mason Crosby's 39-yard field goal with 5:21 remaining, cornerback Charles Woodson's interception set up Brandon Jackson's 19-yard TD run with 3 1/2 minutes left.

On the Lions' next possession, Woodson came up with another pick, returning it 41 yards for a score. Safety Nick Collins then got into the act, taking back Kitna's final interception 42 yards to complete the scoring.

"(Woodson) didn't even practice all week and to go out and play says a lot about him," Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said. "Individually, he turned that game around in the fourth quarter."

In each of the last two seasons, Kitna has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns. Last season, the veteran was picked off 20 times, tied with Cincinnati's Carson Palmer and Eli Manning of the New York Giants for the league high.

"There's no words, really," Kitna said of the Lions' collapse. "It's all on me. As a quarterback, you have to be smarter."

Green Bay (2-0) has won eight of its last nine meetings with Detroit, including 5-0 under McCarthy.

Rodgers is helping the Packers' fans get over the departure of the beloved Favre. Last week, he completed 18-of-22 passes in a 24-19 win over the Minnesota Vikings, the second-highest percentage in NFL history (81.8) for a quarterback making his first career start.

Rodgers was equally impressive in the first half Sunday, throwing three touchdowns to help the Packers build their 21-0 lead. His touchdown strikes went to James Jones, Donald Driver and Jordy Nelson.

"Winning on the road is very difficult," McCarthy added. "I thought he managed (the game) very well."

Rodgers finished 24-of-38 passes for 328 yards, but there were some anxious moments in the second half when Green Bay's offense was not nearly as effective.

After three field goals by Jason Hanson, the Lions closed within 24-16 on Kitna's 38-yard TD pass to Johnson with 13 minutes left. Detroit then made it 24-18 when Green Bay punter Derrick Frost let the ball slip through his hands in the end zone for a safety.

After Mike Furrey returned the ensuing free kick 20 yards, Kitna, who finished 21-of-41 for 276 yards, needed only one play to give the Lions the lead with his second TD pass to Johnson.

"Until the last six minutes, we were right there, even ahead, against the cream of the crop in our division," Kitna said. "We've just got to learn how to finish."

While Kitna imploded, Rodgers responded, setting up Crosby's go-ahead field goal with a 60-yard completion to Greg Jennings.

When he took the field with the Packers trailing, 25-24, Rodgers, a California native, thought of his boyhood idol, Joe Montana, who was known for his fourth-quarter comebacks.

"We were going to find out what we were made of," Rodgers said. "When I was growing up, Joe Montana was a guy who could always bring his team back in the fourth quarter. You don't want to have a lot of comebacks. You always want to be in the lead."