5 takeaways from Lions’ victory against Packers

Coming off a bye week, the Detroit Lions got extra time to prepare for the Green Bay Packers in their first NFC North battle of 2026. This game was much closer than it should've been, as Detroit dominated and its own mistakes gave Green Bay life. It came down to a game-winning kick by kicker Jake Bates, with Detroit winning 20-17.

Here are my five takeaways from the Lions' thrilling win against the Packers.

When the offense was consistent, it was dominant

Despite scoring only 20 points, the Lions offense was great when it clicked. They had an opening-drive touchdown for the first time this season, moving the ball downfield with ease as they scored in under four minutes on six plays to take the lead. Quarterback Jared Goff was wheeling and dealing, going 22-for-32 for 303 yards and two touchdowns.

Wide receiver Jameson Williams found the end zone for Detroit, catching five for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Lions' leading receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had his biggest game of the season, getting nine catches for 153 yards. The passing attack was lethal and picked apart the Packers' secondary, which relies on its safeties to bail it out. Play action worked with ease, given Green Bay's lack of depth at linebacker.

Running back Jahmyr Gibbs had highs and lows, finishing with 29 carries for 116 yards and five catches for 27 yards. His second-quarter fumble was costly, as it killed Detroit's chance to at least take a six-point lead at the half after they got the ball back. In the end, Gibbs clutched up and helped set Bates up for the game-winning kick.

The return of Brian Branch and Cade Mays was felt

Two big pieces returned for the Lions on Sunday: safety Brian Branch and center Cade Mays. Mays started at center, and the offensive line struck consistently in the passing game as play-action gave Goff time to let it rip. The running game showed flashes of success. Mays did make a mistake, though, and bumped into Gibbs on the first fumble of the game.

Branch wasn't on the field as often as Mays, as his Achilles injury will take time to adjust to playing again. Despite getting limited snaps, Branch had an impact with four tackles and a huge interception in the fourth quarter. The secondary did improve with Branch back, and Mays gave the offensive line a nice boost. These two players had a big impact in the win, and the team feels like it has a better identity on offense and defense.

Detroit's defense has improved in its past two games, but its biggest problem this week was stopping the Packers on crucial downs. Green Bay was three-for-four on fourth-down attempts, getting 77 yards on those successful plays. On third-down, gotta-have-it stops, the Lions let the Packers go five-for-15.

While that isn't a high success rate, Green Bay converted on those downs and turned it into points almost every time.

Opening drive – Converted fourth down, set up a field goal that was missed

Second drive – Converted two third downs and one fourth down; result was a touchdown

Fourth drive – Converted one third and one fourth down; was stopped on downs on the lone failed fourth-down attempt

Fifth drive – One rushing play before halftime

Sixth drive – Scored touchdown pass on third down pass

Eighth drive – Interception on third down

Ninth drive – Converted one third down, made field goal

10th drive – Missed field goal on four-play drive

Detroit got bailed out by Packers kicker Trey Smack, who missed two field goals. If he'd made the first field goal, Green Bay might have kicked it on that fourth drive instead of going for it. Green Bay punted only twice all game, and if Detroit makes more stops, those punt numbers could rise.

One issue Detroit has had this season is the number of penalties they've gotten in every game. From false starts to holding on either side of the ball, Detroit has been beating itself up in some games this season. On Sunday, Detroit got called for five penalties, a slight improvement from their average of seven per game, according to TeamRankings.com.

Two were on special teams, one was a questionable penalty on linebacker Derrick Barnes, and the other two were false starts by the offensive line. The two offensive penalties didn't hurt the team or stall the drive, which was good to see compared to earlier this year. Unfortunately, when they fix one problem, another one appears.

While Detroit wasn't beating themselves with penalties, they beat themselves up with fumbles. While the Gibbs fumble was friendly fire, it still made the game closer than it was. If Gibbs hadn't fumbled it there, Detroit could have gone up by six to 10 at halftime. Detroit was moving the ball down the field with ease, and it killed the momentum.

The second turnover was another awkward play by Mays and Goff; Mays hiked it, and I don't know what happened. I don't know if Goff didn't grasp the ball or Mays snapped it too early, but it was kicked forward, and Green Bay got the ball to start both halves pretty much. While the first fumble didn't give Green Bay points, the Packers capitalized on the second fumble and scored. Those two fumbles were big swings, and they almost turned this victory into a defeat.

Detroit has to clean up the fumbles, and Goff threw multiple risky passes that should have been picked off; one was eliminated due to defensive pass interference on Green Bay. It was scary after the offense started strong, but if they can play clean football and avoid penalties and turnovers, this offense can stay one of the best in the NFL.