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Lions shut down Packers

Sep 21, 2014 - 10:40 PM Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Reggie Bush had a touchdown and a stout defense held Aaron Rodgers in check, as the Detroit Lions took a 19-7 win over the Green Bay Packers in an NFC North battle from Ford Field.

Matthew Stafford had a tough day as he was picked off twice and lost a fumble while going 22-for-34 for 246 yards, but the Lions (2-1) defense picked up the slack with a fumble return for a touchdown along with a safety.

"A very tough division battle which I think everyone knew and understood coming in," said Detroit head coach Jim Caldwell. "Our guys had to play well and I think the guys on defense did a terrific job."

Rodgers, who rallied his team in the second half last week to defeat the Jets, never found a rhythm as he led Green Bay (1-2) to a touchdown just once and finished the game a paltry 16-for-27 for 162 yards.

"Disappointing loss, especially because we knew how tough it was going to be coming up here," said Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy. "The way I see it, we didn't take advantage of our opportunities on offense. The defense did a great job today, though."

The first big play of the game came from the Detroit defense as Nick Fairley stripped the ball from Eddie Lacy and Don Carey picked it up, running 40 yards into the end zone for a 7-0 lead three minutes in.

Both offenses sputtered for the next several possessions, and the Packers came up with an interception of Stafford as a pass was tipped into the hands of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix for his first career pick.

A low block call to Detroit on the play gave Green Bay the ball at its own 41, and Rodgers took advantage of the short field. Rodgers converted a 3rd-and-10 with a 16-yard pass to Jordy Nelson to get the ball to the Detroit 19. Three plays later, Rodgers zipped a hard pass over the middle where Andrew Quarless came up with the tough catch for a 10-yard score with 39 seconds left in the first quarter.

Stafford was again picked off by Green Bay on Detroit's next possession as Davon House came down with a diving interception on a deep ball. He was initially ruled down in the end zone for a touchback, but replay showed he was down at the 1-yard line.

On the next snap, Lacy took a handoff and didn't make it out of the end zone, as DeAndre Levy wrapped him up for a safety.

"Against that group, what the defense did today was pretty awesome," said Stafford.

The free kick saw the Lions start at their own 45 after a 34-yard return from Jeremy Ross. Over 13 plays, the team moved 43 yards and took a 12-7 lead on a 30-yard field goal from Nate Freese with just over six minutes to play in the half.

After forcing a Green Bay punt, the Lions got into scoring position thanks to a 52-yard catch by Corey Fuller. Freese, though, missed the 41-yard attempt to the left as time expired in the half.

Detroit's first touch of the second half saw the team drive all the way down to the Green Bay 7, but Stafford was sacked and had the ball knocked loose by Julius Peppers, and Green Bay recovered it.

The Packers got a couple of first downs on the drive, but ultimately had to punt and Detroit got the ball back at its own 25. A pass interference call gave the team a first down, and Stafford hit Golden Tate on 3rd-and-1 for nine yards. Three plays later, Bush took a handoff 26 yards around the left end and into the end zone for a 19-7 lead with 10:40 to play.

Rodgers quickly got his team down to the red zone, but on 4th-and-5, his pass to Jordy Nelson was just a bit behind and the Lions took over on downs.

Tate caught an 8-yard pass on 3rd-and-7 to give the Lions a fresh set of downs, while Bush and Joique Bell converted third downs to help the Lions kill off the rest of the clock.

Game Notes

Stafford improved to 2-6 in his career against Green Bay, while Rodgers fell to 9-2 against Detroit ... Detroit linebacker Stephen Tulloch left the game in the first half with an injured left knee ... The Lions have won the past two games against the Packers ... Detroit controlled the ball for over 38 minutes ... Detroit hits the road next week for a game against the Jets ... Green Bay plays in Chicago next Sunday.