(CBS DETROIT) – Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes, Jake Bates made a 35-yard field goal as time expired and the Detroit Lions clinched a playoff spot with a 34-31 win over the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night.
“This will be one you’ll never forget,” Detroit coach Dan Campbell said.
The NFC-ranked Lions (12-1) broke a franchise record with their 11th straight victory – including two over the Packers (9-4) – and stayed ahead of Minnesota (10-2) in the highly competitive NFC North.
Campbell went for it five times on fourth down, including with 3 feet to go at the Green Bay 21 with 43 seconds left, and his gambles backfired just once.
David Montgomery ran 7 yards, barely got a handoff from Goff after the quarterback got his feet caught and fell toward the turf.
“I just kind of stumbled there,” Goff said. “It’s a bad feeling when you’re a quarterback.”
That allowed the Lions to attempt a field goal without giving the Packers the ball back, and Bates hit his third game-winning kick this season.
“I just felt like we had to end it on offense,” Campbell said. “I didn’t want to give the ball back and I believed we could convert. I trust the O-line. I trust David.”
Goff threw two touchdown passes on fourth down, one to Tim Patrick, who had two touchdown catches. He also threw an interception in the third quarter and set up one of Josh Jacobs’ matching three TD runs of his career.
Goff found Jahymr Gibbs open in the end zone for a two-yard pass on a fourth down with 11 seconds left in the first half, putting Detroit ahead 17-7.
Goff later connected with Patrick on a go-ahead 1-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter.
Green Bay took advantage of the one time Campbell’s aggressiveness didn’t play out, denying Gibbs a fourth-down run late in the third quarter from the Detroit 31.
Jacobs scored for the third time on a three-yard run on the ensuing drive.
Brandon McManus made a 32-yard field goal with 3:38 left to pull the Packers to a 31-yard tie in a game that had four lead changes earlier in the second half.
The Lions’ final drive started with Goff’s 19-yard pass to Jameson Williams. He also connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown for 16 yards on the decisive possession. Goff finished 32 of 41 for 283 yards, and six Lions players had at least five receptions.
Jordan Love was 12 of 20 for 206 yards with a touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft early in the third quarter.
