• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Packers clip Lions behind Rodgers, Crosby

Oct 6, 2013 - 10:41 PM Green Bay, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Aaron Rodgers had one touchdown pass and Mason Crosby connected on five field goals as the Green Bay Packers took a 22-9 victory over the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

Rodgers went 20-for-30 for 274 yards, including an 83-yard touchdown strike to James Jones for the Packers (2-2), who were coming off their bye week after dropping a game to Cincinnati.

Jones finished the game with four catches for 127 yards, while Eddie Lacy had 23 carries for 99 yards for Green Bay, which ran its winning streak at home against the Lions to 23 straight games.

"This was a good division victory for us in front of the home crowd," said Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy. "Coming off the bye week we wanted to come out with a strong effort, and I think we had that here today. Would have been nice to find the end zone a little more, but I thought we did an excellent job on defense."

Matthew Stafford was 25-for-40 for 262 yards and a touchdown for the Lions (3-2), who were coming off wins against Washington and Chicago.

The Detroit offense sputtered much of the day thanks in large part to wide receiver Calvin Johnson sitting out the game with a knee injury. He had been listed as questionable on the team's injury report after sitting out practice both Wednesday and Thursday before participating in Friday's session on a limited basis.

"It's a long season and you have to be able to persevere through a lot of ups and downs," said Detroit head coach Jim Schwartz. "We had a down today, and we'll bounce back from it just like we did after losing to Arizona."

Detroit's first drive stalled near midfield and a punt saw Green Bay get the ball back at its own 20.

Over the course of the 15-play drive, the Packers converted three third downs, one on a penalty and the other two with receptions. The team eventually had a 1st-and-goal at the 4, but was unable to punch it in and Crosby's 26-yard field goal made it a 3-0 game.

Following a three-and-out from Detroit, Green Bay started a drive at its own 30 and ran 12 plays over the next four minutes.

Included in the drive was a fourth down conversion that saw Rodgers' pass fall incomplete, but a holding call on Detroit moved the chains. The team made it a 6-0 game on Crosby's season-high 52-yard field goal with 11:19 left in the half.

After each team punted, the Lions had the ball at their own 11 with 3:47 to play in the opening half. After converting one third down, the team faced a 3rd-and-10, but Stafford turned it with a 22-yard catch by Ryan Broyles. Another third down saw Brandon Pettigrew catch a short pass and turn it into a 25-yard gain. David Akers capped the march with a 53-yard field goal, a season-high, for a 6-3 Lions deficit right before the break.

Green Bay's second touch of the second half saw the team get a 67-yard run from Randall Cobb on the first play. That set up a 31-yard field goal from Crosby for a 9-3 lead with 5:04 to play in the third.

Following another three-and-out from Detroit, Green Bay essentially put the game away as Rodgers went down the left sideline for Jones, who caught the ball near midfield and raced into the end zone on an 83-yard score for a 16-3 lead with 3:12 left in the third.

A 42-yard field goal from Crosby capped a nine-play, 55-yard march for a 19-3 advantage with 10:16 showing on the clock.

Crosby later hit a 45-yard field goal, and Stafford countered with Detroit's only touchdown march of the game that saw him hit Kris Durham on a 13-yard score with 2:06 to play.

Game Notes

Detroit's last win on the road against Green Bay came in 1991 ... The Packers have a nine-game winning streak at home ... It was the first game Johnson had missed since the final game of the 2010 season ... Green Bay totaled 449 yards, while Detroit had just 286 ... Green Bay plays at Baltimore next Sunday ... Detroit plays in Cleveland next Sunday ... The Packers have won five straight and 15 of the last 16 against the Lions.