{image1} For the first half Sunday, the Packers made the Detroit Lions look like the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Packers committed foolish penalties, tackled poorly and just played bad football to fall behind 13-0 by halftime. But, the Packers came out of the deep freeze in the second half to post a 16-13 win on Ryan Longwell's field goal with two seconds left at a cold, windy Lambeau Field.
With the win, the Packers moved to 8-5, good enough for a one game lead in the NFC North over the Minnesota Vikings, who lost at home against the Seattle Seahawks.
Penalties played a big part in this game. The Packers committed six penalties for 74 yards in the first half and opened the doors for Kevin Jones and the Lions. Jones gained 118 yards in the half and scored the only touchdown of the first 30 minutes.
The Packers' offense looked worse than it did against Philadelphia, if that is possible. But, in the first series of the second half, Detroit committed three straight defensive penalties.
Those mistakes gave the Packers some momentum, and Brett Favre capitalized. He led the Packers to 13 straight points to tie the score at 13-13.
The Lions, meanwhile, went dormant on offense. Late in the fourth quarter, Detroit's Nick Harris, kicking into a ferocious win, managed only a 19-yard punt that gave the Packers the ball at the Lions' 42 yard line.
Favre completed two key passes to William Henderson for 11 yards and Javon Walker for 10. Those completions, and some position runs by Ahman Green, set up the game winner by Longwell from 23 yards out.
The Packers have beaten the Lions at home 14 straight times, ever since Favre took over as the Green Bay quarterback. This one looked to be in jeopardy after the first half, but Favre and the Packers came back in the second half.
It almost looked like the Packers rediscovered themselves in the second half, after playing for six straight quarters more like they did in the early part of the season, when they went 1-4.
Players of the Game
Longwell deserves the main honor for kicking three field goals -- including the game winner -- on a day when the wind made every kick a challenge. He also surpassed the 200 field goal career mark in the contest.
Favre didn't have as impressive stats as he usually does, but he ended up 19 of 36 for 188 yards, after completing only three of 15 in the first half.
You also have to give mention to the Lions' Jones. He slowed down in the second half, but still ended up with 156 yards on 33 carries. He was the entire Detroit offense.
Plays of the Game
Longwell's game-winning field goal gets the main designation, although all three of his kicks deserve praise.
Harris' short punt certainly set up the Packers' game-winning score. Favre's two completions in the final drive also deserve mention, as did a beautiful TD pass into the wind to Donald Driver in the third quarter.
The three defensive penalties on the Lions to start the second half also were key. The Packers' offense had struggled the entire first half and looked sluggish on the first two plays of the second half, until the Lions helped them along.
Goats of the Game
Harris gets a set of horns for his poor punt late in the game, even though it was tough kicking against the win.
The Lions' Sean Rogers, who is supposed to be one of the better defensive linemen on the team, also deserves a set for his part in the foolish penalties that helped the Packers get started in the second half. Rogers also stalked around on the sidelines, to the point where Detroit coach Steve Mariucci chewed him out in front of his teammates, the sellout Lambeau crowd and a national TV audience.
Joey Harrington also might be one of the most over-rated quarterbacks in the NFL. Granted it was a tough day to throw the ball, but Harrington was a miserable five for 22 for 47 yards and was equally bad when the wind was with him. His QB rating was only 22.7 percent!
Also give a set of horns to Green Bay linebacker Nick Barnett, who continued to show boat and trash talk when his play didn't really merit it. Barnett tackled very poorly in the first half, but went into theatrics every time he did make a play and got caught up into jawing with the Lions. After Barnett came very close to drawing a foolish penalty for his antics, a Packers' sideline coach gave him a stern talking to.
Next Week
The Packers enjoy home field advantage again next week when the Jacksonville Jaguars come to Lambeau Field for a 3:15 game.
It's the Packers' last regular season home game. They finish the season at Minnesota and Chicago, so can't afford to stumble against the Jags.
