Packers 35, Lions 17: 2-minute drill
Green Bay outscored Detroit 21-0 in the second half to earn a 35-17 win Monday night at Lambeau Field.
Game Balls
Offense: Aaron Jones
After getting just five carries for nine yards in the season opening loss to New Orleans, the Packers fed Jones early and often. On their first two scoring drives, Jones touched the ball 13 times for 76 yards and caught a pair of touchdowns. He was not done, though. In the second half he scored twice more, giving him four touchdowns in a single game for the second time in his career.
His big night, that included 115 total yards on 23 touches, came in his first home game since his father passed away in April due to COVID-19 complications. Jones wore a neckless with a black football on it that contained his father’s ashes and he lost it when he scored his second touchdown. The ground’s crew was still searching for it after the game.
“If there was any place to lose it, that’s where my dad would have wanted me to lose it,” Jones said.
The fifth-year back had 15 or so family and friends at the game for him. That included his son, who was on the receiving end of the ball after one of his touchdowns.
“I really appreciate them being here. It did a lot for me,” Jones said. “I’m normally used to turning around and seeing my dad in the stands, just smiling, knowing everything is OK. When I saw them, I was good.”
Defense: Eric Stokes
This isn’t about the game Stokes put together – he had just one tackle. But he made the play of the game on defense for the Packers. With the Lions trailing 21-17 and facing a fourth-and-1 at Green Bay’s 25-yard line. Quarterback Jared Goff tried to go to throw a stop route to Quintez Cephus on the outside. The former Wisconsin receiver had it in his hands, but Stokes was all over him and forced the incompletion. The Packers would score on their next two possession to put the game out of reach.
Best Video
Aaron Rodgers vs the Lions:
🧀 22/27
🧀 255 yards
🧀 4 TDs
🧀 145.6 passer rating
pic.twitter.com/w2cs1Lin5x— PFF (@PFF) September 21, 2021
.@LilTunechi at Lambeau for Monday Night Football 🔥#GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/qjUkn17I9z
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 21, 2021
Coach hit his face on the helmet 😅
(via @thecheckdown)pic.twitter.com/lhL05Y2mOm
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) September 21, 2021
Best Tweets
The Packers didn’t like the way Pettine handled the Buccaneers, so they hired a coordinator who makes every team look like the Buccaneers.
— Mark Russell (@Manruss) September 21, 2021
The #Packers and the #Lions in the second half #MNF #NFL pic.twitter.com/WQAv4e9lO9
— Derrick Whittington (@DWhitti) September 21, 2021
hahahah pic.twitter.com/UkNUJZi4jg
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) September 21, 2021
Aaron Rodgers walking into his postgame press conference pic.twitter.com/IwzFqPzMyb
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) September 21, 2021
Think I can R.E.L.A.X now @packers #Buildyourlegend @woodsonwhiskey pic.twitter.com/bWXCKdnOKI
— Charles Woodson (@CharlesWoodson) September 21, 2021
Former #Packers RB Jamaal Williams getting a huge cheer from the fans who gather around the tunnel on his way into the locker room. He was the last Lions player to leave the field.
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) September 21, 2021
Old friends. #DETvsGB pic.twitter.com/uope8qfTsN
— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2021
In his first game at Lambeau since losing his father, Aaron Jones wore a football chain containing his dad’s ashes.
He scored 4 TD and lost his chain in the end zone during one of his scores.
“If I was gonna lose it anywhere, he’d want it to be in the end zone.” (h/t @saltersl) pic.twitter.com/N4OgI3y2ne
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 21, 2021
What They Said
Matt LaFleur on #Packers defense two weeks into the season: "Hopefully it's an upward trajectory. I think there's a lot of things we can build upon, but certainly there's a lot of things we need to do better."
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) September 21, 2021
Aaron Rodgers is unbothered. pic.twitter.com/gvHxBfvpjq
— 𝐽𝐸𝑁 𝑀𝐴𝐶𝐾 🧀 (@BigMack_4) September 21, 2021
More Rodgers:
* "People like to say a lot of bullshit, and it's nice to come back in here after a game like that."
*It's nice to have a performance like this and get the trolls off our back for a week." https://t.co/pjo0PMTuvz
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 21, 2021
In Case You Missed It
— The name of former Packers GM Ted Thompson was unveiled on the Lambeau Field façade during a ceremony at halftime. Thompson led the team from 2005 to 2017, helping them to the playoffs in eight straight seasons and a Super Bowl title in 2010. Thompson passed away earlier this year.
#Packers unveil Ted Thompson’s name on the facade. pic.twitter.com/73HZJbj06z
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) September 21, 2021
— Jon Runyan got the start at left guard in place of Lucas Patrick. The latter was active but practiced just once this week due to a concussion.
— Former Wisconsin wide receiver Quintez Cephus had four catches for 63 yards and a touchdown. The catches were the most in his career, while the yards were tied for the most.
Inside the Numbers
7-0 — That’s what the Packers record is after a loss under coach Matt LaFleur. He also moved to 5-0 all-time against the Lions and 12-1 against the NFC North overall.
13 — That’s how many tackles linebacker De’Vondre Campbell had. The free agent addition also snared his first interception with the Packers. Green Bay forced two turnovers on the night after not generating any against New Orleans.
121 — That’s how many yards receiving Davante Adams had in the game. It was his third 100-yard game against the Lions in his career.
131.5 — That’s Aaron Rodgers’ passer rating in games after he has a passer rating of 50.0 or less. He has thrown 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions in those four games and Green Bay is 4-0. Rodgers went 22-for-27 for 255 yards and could have had more. He lamented afterwards several misses on deep shots to Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
What’s Next
Green Bay (1-1) hits the road to face San Francisco (2-0) on Sunday night.