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Favre leads Packers past Lions on Thanksgiving

Nov 22, 2007 - 10:51 PM DETROIT (Ticker) -- Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers have another reason to be thankful.

Favre completed a club record 20 consecutive passes, and threw three touchdown passes to lead the NFC North Division-leading Packers to a 37-26 victory Thursday against the Detroit Lions.

"In past years we might have lost some of these games," Favre said. "I consider us lucky. I consider us pretty good and I also consider us kind of an unknown. One game isn't going to define us one way or the other."

The win gave Green Bay a 10-1 record for its best start since the 1962 team also went 10-1 and gave the Packers a four-game lead over second-place Detroit (6-5) in the division.

"Proud of how we focus," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "They're in tune with improvement and winning. I think this team has arrived and is playing well in all three phases. Being at 10 wins with five more to play is where you want to be."

This was the fourth straight season that the Lions have lost in their annual Thanksgiving Day game.

Favre completed 31-of-41 passes for 381 yards, going over 300 yards for the seventh time this season, tying the club record he set in 1995.

Favre's string of 20 straight completions broke the club record of 18 shared by Lynn Dickey and Don Majkowski.

"I wasn't aware that that happened," Favre said of the record. "I knew that we were moving the ball as efficient as we have all year. I threw it and they caught it. It was methodically moving the ball down the field.

"Get it in the guys' hands and let them make plays. When you're completing passes you give those guys a chance to score."

The Lions weren't surprised by Favre's feat.

"I've played against him since 1996, and he's playing as well as I've ever seen him," Lions coach Rod Marinelli said. "It's tough to sack that guy, with his speed on the release, and when they went five-wide, it caused us some trouble."

Favre and the Packers started the second half just like they left off in the first. Favre completed seven straight passes for 80 yards on Green Bay's first possession of the second half, the last a four-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings, putting the Packers ahead 24-9.

"It felt great," Jennings said. "Anytime you can get in the end zone it feels good. Obviously, he was finding me down in the red zone and we were connecting and scoring touchdowns, so it always feels good."

Jason Hanson countered with his fourth field goal of the game, a 52-yarder, but the Packers scored on a three-yard pass from Favre to Ruvell Martin.

"I'm glad to do my job to keep us in it," Hanson said. "It always feels good when you do your job well, but that's all kind of negated when you lose, and we're just not playing well enough right now."

The Packers then made it 34-12 on Mason Crosby's 20-yard field goal.

Detroit cut the lead to 34-19 with just under 10 minutes left in the game on a six-yard touchdown pass from Jon Kitna to rookie wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

Kitna completed 19-of-39 for 224 yards. Johnson caught seven passes for 93 yards.

The Lions also scored on their next possession, with halfback Kevin Jones going in from one yard out to make it 34-26 with 6:34 left. The touchdown was set up by a pair of 16-yard passes from Kitna to Johnson, and a 29-yard pass interference penalty against Green Bay safety Atari Bigby.

"Of course, you get doubtful when you lose three in a row, but at the same time, I think this team has resolve that it hasn't had in the past," Jones said of his team's three-game swoon.

But Green Bay effectively put the game away with a 26-yard field goal by Crosby with 1:48 left.

Detroit dominated the first quarter, but only had a pair of field goals by Hanson to show for its efforts.

On the game's first possession, the Lions drove from their own 19 to the Green Bay 8-yard line. A 15-yard personal foul penalty for a chop block against center Dominic Raiola moved the ball back to the 23, and on third down, Kitna was sacked for six yards by Aaron Kampman.

As a result, Detroit had to settle for Hanson's 47-yard field goal.

Favre fumbled a hand-off to halfback Ryan Grant on the Packers' first offensive play, and Detroit's Jared DeVries recovered on the Green Bay 25. The Lions failed to move the ball and Hanson kicked a 41-yard field goal to make it 6-0.

Green Bay ran only seven offensive plays in the first quarter, but took advantage of a Detroit turnover to score on its first play of the second quarter.

Free safety Aaron Rouse, replacing the injured Nick Collins, intercepted Kitna's pass and returned it 34 yards to the Detroit 11-yard line. On the next play, Favre passed 11 yards to Jennings for the touchdown to put the Packers ahead 7-6.

"I thought Aaron Rouse's play of the game was huge for our team," McCarthy said. "Coming in here we knew this was going to be a dog fight as far as the environment and opponent. We were able to go up 7-6 and we hadn't been able to do anything on offense yet. I thought that was a huge play of the game."

Green Bay increased its lead to 14-6 on Grant's five-yard run with 7:11 remaining in the first half. The touchdown capped a six-play, 80-yard drive that included passes of 38 and 19 yards to Donald Driver.

Driver caught 10 passes for 147 yards, while Grant finished with 101 yards rushing on 15 carries.

A 74-yard kickoff return by Aveion Cason set up a 45-yard field goal by Hanson, but the Packers answered with a 20-yard field goal by Crosby as time expired in the first half. Favre was 7-for-7 for 76 yards in the 78-yard drive.

"He's the greatest ever," Kitna said of Favre.