Jared Goff (303 passing yards and two touchdowns on 22-of-32 passing with a lost fumble) and Jordan Love (274 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception on 27-of-45 passing) put on a show with Goff's Lions prevailing over Love's Packers 20-17.
Both teams did their best to give the game away in Week 7. The Lions lost two fumbles, one by Goff on a botched snap and another by Jahmyr Gibbs. Dan Campbell also surprisingly went for it on fourth-and-1 on Detroit's 24-yard line only to see Gibbs get stuffed.
The Packers missed two field goals after Campbell's gutsy fourth-down decision backfired. Green Bay also committed eight penalties for 81 yards.
Green Bay's offense hanging around with Detroit's No. 2 scoring offense was a minor miracle considering the team lost both its starter center, Sean Rhyan (ankle), and its backup center, Jacob Monk (quad), to lower-body injuries in the first quarter, but that didn't deter Love despite being pressured on almost half of his dropbacks. Green Bay marched right down the field on its opening drive. They had to settle for a 21-yard field goal after the drive stalled out, but a delay of game penalty forced a re-kick from 26 yards out that rookie kicker Trey Smack missed wide right. Love then countered Goff's opening drive touchdown pass to Jameson Williams with a 14-yard strike of his own to tight end Tucker Kraft.
Detroit took a 10-7 lead into halftime, but a Love checkdown to Josh Jacobs went for a 25-yard catch-and-run touchdown to give the Packers a 14-10 lead with 12:14 left in the third quarter. That touchdown occurred thanks to Goff fumbling away an under-center snap on the Lions' first drive of the third quarter. Goff and the Lions punched back with a 10-yard touchdown toss to Williams to take a 17-14 lead with 6:33 left.
After forcing the Lions' first three-and-out of the day halfway through the fourth quarter, Green Bay tied the game at 17 on a 43-yard field goal from Smack. That's when the chaos of Campbell's ill-fated fourth-down call that involved a slow-developing run up the middle for Gibbs, Smack's missed field goal, and the Lions' made field goal as time expired.
Detroit quarterback Jared Goff is off to a historic start to his 2026 season with 14 touchdown passes, 1,788 yards passing and no interceptions in the Lions' 4-2 start. His 223 pass attempts are the most without an interception in the first six games of a season in NFL history, and he is tied for the most touchdown passes without an interception (14) in that span in NFL history, along with Russell Wilson in his 2019 "Let Russ Cook" era with the Seattle Seahawks.
However, the Lions' defense will get them bounced earlier than they would like in the postseason if they don't make significant moves to upgrade their secondary. Love was playing with a third-string center, and they're the worst rushing team in the league by a country mile. Yet, he was nearly able to will the Packers to victory in the Lions' den despite all that. That is both a positive reflection on Love and a negative reflection on Detroit's defense.
General manager Brad Holmes would be wise to make an aggressive trade or two to bolster his defensive backfield. He lost out on the Joey Porter Jr. sweepstakes, and he needs to make up for that before the NFL's Nov. 10 trade deadline.
Campbell set the tone for his tenure as the Lions head coach at his introductory press conference years ago when he spoke of "biting knee caps" and playing with unrelenting toughness and aggression. He has carried that mindset into his fourth-down decision-making, and over his first five seasons from 2021 to 2025, it was successful.
No team went for it more on fourth down (182 times) in Campbell's first five seasons than the Lions, and no team had more fourth down conversions than the Lions (102). That led to Campbell having the league's best fourth-down decision expected points added (EPA) at 64.0, over 20 more expected points added than the next closest team at 44.6. That metric factors in the points added from the value of the fourth down decision difference before and after the decision is made. It factors in the game's time, score and the location of the ball on the field.
In 2026, only the 0-6 Los Angeles Chargers (-8.2 fourth-down decision EPA) have a worse fourth-down decision EPA than Campbell's Lions, who now rank 31st out of 32 NFL teams in the statistic (-3.8). The Lions became just the third team in the past 35 years to go for it on fourth down on their own 25-yard line or further and in the 4th quarter of a tie game on Sunday against the Packers. Detroit is the only one of those three teams not to convert. Gibbs was stuffed at the line for a 2-yard loss.
Campbell needs to take a deep breath and do a better job with his situational decision-making. He can't rely on his field block unit to block every field goal attempt as they did after Campbell's blunder.
Green Bay went into Week 7 against a Lions offense that was averaging 32.8 points per game, the second-most in the entire league through the first six weeks of 2026. Without All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons (torn ACL), middle linebacker Zaire Franklin (shin) and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (torn Achilles), Green Bay limited the Lions to 20 points and forced them to commit two turnovers. That's amazing considering Detroit had just one giveaway in the first six weeks, and it occurred all the way back in Week 1.
Parsons and Franklin will both return to action at some point this season, with Franklin having a chance to do so in Week 8 on "Thursday Night Football" against the Carolina Panthers. He took a knee to the shin in practice in the lead-up to Sunday, and that shouldn't linger long-term. Green Bay hanging around with Detroit with those defensive injuries — plus injuries to the first two centers on their depth chart — is nothing short of amazing.
It is on general manager Brian Gutekunst to now sift through the bargain bin at center after he stabilized his two guard spots and his right tackle spot with three aging veteran free agents prior to the start of Week 4. Having a more reliable offensive line will significantly improve the NFL's worst rushing offense with Jacobs back from his six-game stay on the commissioner's exempt list. Plus, a better offensive line should be able to prevent Smack's field goals from being blocked, especially in key situations. Green Bay has allowed two field goals to be blocked this season, tied for the most in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys.
Solidifying the line for offensive and special teams reasons could be the difference between a fun but disappointing 2026 season and a special one.
Detroit coach Dan Campbell's confusing decision to go for it doesn't come back to bite the Lions as they partially block Packers rookie kicker Trey Smack's go-ahead field goal attempt from 35 yards out. The Lions take over at their own 25 with 3:21 left to play in a 17-17 game.
Lions coach Dan Campbell decided to surprisingly go for it on fourth-and-1 on Detroit's 24, and the Packers stuffed running back Jahmyr Gibbs on an under-center run play. Gibbs didn't have a chance as Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon knifed into the backfield to force the turnover on downs. Packers take over at the Detroit 22 in a 17-17 game with 4:50 left to play.
Green Bay capitalized on its defensive stuff with rookie kicker Trey Smack redeeming himself by making a 43-yard field goal to tie the game at 17. He missed from 26 yards earlier, but he was able to tie the game with 7:10 left to play in Detroit.
After a near interception on first down by Green Bay safety Evan Williams, the Packers gave up just one yard the rest of the series to force the Lions' first three-and-out of the game. Love and the Packers offense has the football back down 17-14 at their own 14 with with 13:44 left in the game.
Facing a third-and-21 after being called for intentional grounding on the first play of the drive, Love heaved a deep ball down the field to wide receiver Christian Watson. Lions safety Brian Branch timed his jump for the football better, and he picked off the pass. The Lions will begin their next drive at their own 43 up by three, 17-14, with 14:42 left in the game.
The Detroit Lions were primed to punt the football back to the Green Bay Packers after quarterback Jared Goff's incompletion on third-and-10 at their own 48. However, a roughing-the-passer penalty on Packers defensive lineman Brenton Cox kept the Lions' drive alive. Then, rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse intercepted Goff on a throw intended for wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, but Cisse was called for pass interference.
Green Bay eventually locked in with the Lions going for it on a fourth-and-five at the Packers' six. Goff lofted a pass to wide receiver Jameson Williams in the back of the end zone, but Cisse was able to prevent Williams from getting both feet inbounds. The Packers take over at their own six down three points, 17-14 with 1:04 left in the third quarter.
Williams broke free over the middle on a play in which left tackle Penei Sewell ran a route to score a 10-yard touchdown. Williams is up to 91 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns with 5 catches on his 6 targets. The Lions now lead 17-14 with 6:33 left in the third quarter after a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Quarterback Jared Goff is cooking the Packers secondary with 262 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 of 22 passing in addition to a lost fumble.
Green Bay made Detroit pay for their second lost fumble of the day to begin the second half. Facing a third-and-6 at the Lions' 25, Packers running back Josh Jacobs took a checkdown from Jordan Love all the way down the left sideline for a 25-yard touchdown. Jacobs getting into the end zone in his first game of the 2026 season puts Green Bay in front for the first time on Sunday as the Packers lead 14-10 with 12:14 left in the third quarter.
The Detroit Lions' opening possession of the second half lasted just one play. Lions quarterback Jared Goff and center Juice Scruggs botched the first snap of the third quarter from in an under center formation, and Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie recovered the fumble for a takeaway. The Lions now have two turnovers, both off lost fumbles, after having no turnovers since Week 1.
The Packers take over on the Lions' 42 down 10-7.
Green Bay linebacker Isaiah McDuffie came up with a huge play in the red zone, punching the football out of Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs' arms at the six, and Packers defensive lineman Brenton Cox jumped on the loose ball for the takeaway. The turnover was the Lions' first since Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints.
The Lions head into the locker room up 10-7 at halftime.
Facing a fourth-and-4 at the Lions' 7, Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur chose to go for it instead of kicking a field goal after rookie kicker Trey Smack missed a 26-yard field goal on the game's opening drive. That decision also didn't pan out with Jordan Love's completion to wide receiver Matthew Golden going for no gain.
The Lions get the football back at their own seven up 10-7 with 4:15 left in the first half.
The only difference between Green Bay and Detroit today is Packers rookie kicker Trey Smack's 21-yard missed field goal. The Lions have a touchdown and now a 40-yard field goal through their first two drives while the Packers have the missed field goal and a touchdown on their first two drives. This should be high-scoring affair from Detroit.
The Lions lead 10-7 with 12:36 left in the first half.
The threat of Jahmyr Gibbs running with the football is so strong that St. Brown was able to get wide open down fgield of off the play-action passs for a gain of 40 yards.
Green Bay picked up a fourth down conversion on a throw from Jordan Love to Tucker Kraft at midfield to keep the drive going, and they finished the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass between the two to tie the game at 7-7 with 58 seconds left in the first quarter.
The interior of the Packers' offensive line is vulnerable with the two injuries at center, so Love is having to roll out and throw on the run with regularity. That hasn't bothered him so far: he has completed 10 of his 14 throws for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Williams, a 2025 seventh-round draft pick of the Packers out of Cincinnati, played in five games without a start as a rookie in 2025. The guard is now in at center as both Sean Rhyan and Jacob Monk have suffered lower body injuries.
Detroit quarterback Jared Goff tore up the Packers' secondary on the opening drive, completing all three of his throws for 68 yards, including a 16-yard checkdown touchdown pass to wide receiver Jameson Williams. The Lions made quick work of the Packers' banged up defense, marching 80 yards in just six plays. They now lead 7-0 with 7 minutes left in the first quarter.
Green Bay rookie kicker Trey Smack made his 21-yard field goal attempt, but a delay of game penalty nullified the kick. On the re-kick from 26 yards out, he missed just wide to the right. That penalty cost the Packers three points on the game's opening drive. Detroit takes over at their own eight for their first drive of the game.
Running back Josh Jacobs crashed into Rhyan's left leg at the end of a run, and he limped off the field.
Love entered Week 7 with the third-most completions of 20-plus yards, and he hits another one to wide receiver Matthew Golden on Green Bay's opening drive.
According to the NFL's Next Gen Stats, Goff is throwing into a tight window on just under a fifth of his throws, 19.4%, which is the fifth-highest rate in the league this season and his highest since his rookie year with the Rams in 2016, when he threw when an NFL-high 25.9% of his throws were into tight windows. What's interesting about Goff's willingness to squeeze the football into tight windows this season hasn't really changed when the Lions are tied or leading (19.6%) or trailing (19.2%).
Goff has completed 13 of his 37 tight-window throws for 115 yards and two touchdowns, with St. Brown making up the bulk of that production. The duo has connected on five of 16 tight-window throws for 34 yards and both of Goff's tight-window throw touchdown passes this season. Green Bay's defense is tied for the most tight-window interceptions so far, with three, so it would be more than happy for Goff to try them when a tight window opportunity arises.
Entering Week 7, Green Bay Packers wide receivers Christian Watson (538 yards receiving) and Matthew Golden (501 yards receiving) ranked fifth and sixth in the entire NFL in receiving yards. They are also the first duo in Packers history to have 500-plus receiving yards each in the first six games of a season. Watson and Golden are also the only fifth such duo in the last 10 seasons.
| Duos with 500-plus receiving yards each in first six games, Last 10 seasons | Season |
|---|---|
GB Christian Watson and Matthew Golden* | 2026 |
MIA Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle | 2022 |
SEA Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf | 2020 |
TB Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson | 2018 |
LAR Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks | 2018 |
* First duo in Packers history with 500-plus receiving yards each through six games
Entering Week 7, Love ranked No. 3 in the league in passing yards (1,684), tied for seventh in passing touchdowns (11) and third in completions of 20-plus yards (24). Love is doing this in an unideal offensive environment. Green Bay is dead last in rushing yards per game (59.8, nearly 20 yards fewer than the next closest team). Love is tied for being the most hit quarterback (46 times) this season despite averaging the fastest time to throw in the NFL (2.66 seconds), and his teammates have combined to drop the most passes (19, eight more than any team) of any pass-catching group in the NFL. Love is dragging the Packers offense up and down the field in 2026, almost completely by himself, in Green Bay's 4-2 start.
Jahmyr Gibbs has 747 yards from scrimmage and an NFL-leading 9 scrimmage touchdown through five games. He is on pace to break Chris Johnson's NFL single-season scrimmage yards record, and he is on pace to threaten LaDainian Tomlinson's single-season scrimmage touchdowns record.
| Jahmyr Gibbs This season | On pace for stats | Current NFL record |
|---|---|---|
Scrimmage yards | 2,540 | 2,509 (2009 Chris Johnson) |
Scrimmage TD | 30 | 31 (2006 LaDainian Tomlinson) |
PPR fantasy points | 522.6 | 487.1* (2006 LaDainian Tomlinson) |
* Among non-QBs
Detroit is averaging the second-most points per game (32.8) after five consecutive games with 25-plus points to begin the season, the longest streak in franchise history. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs is a major reason why. Gibbs is the fifth player in NFL history with 700-plus scrimmage yards and 9-plus scrimmage touchdowns in the first five games of season. The other four players to have accomplished the feat are Jim Brown (1958, 1963), Eric Dickerson (1983), Emmitt Smith (1995) and Priest Holmes (2002).
Green Bay's 1-2 start to the 2026 season was quite bumpy, but the Packers have righted the ship the last three weeks with three straight wins against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys to get to 4-2. Tightening up on defense has been a major key as Green Bay led the NFL in scoring defense (11.3 points per game) from Weeks 3-6.
| Packers this season | First three games | Last three games |
|---|---|---|
W-L | 1-2 | 3-0 |
PPG | 18.7 | 23.7 |
PPG allowed | 30.33 | 11.3* |
Turnovers | 4 | 3 |
Takeaways | 2 | 9* |
| Turnover differential | -2 | +6* |
Rush YPG allowed | 138.7 | 90.0 |
Pass YPG allowed | 202.0 | 184.7 |
TD-INT allowed | 5-2 | 2-7 |
Passer rating allowed | 97.2 | 56.5 |
* Leads NFL
Green Bay swept Detroit last season, and Sunday will be the two teams' first matchup since Thanksgiving Day last season. The Packers won 31-24 at Ford Field that day with Jordan Love completing 18 of his 30 throws for 234 yards and 4 touchdowns with Love completing the game-sealing, 16-yard pass to wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks on fourth-and-3 with 1:55 left to play. Green Bay has won three in a row against Detroit after losing seven of the prior eight.
Green Bay enters Week 7 averaging the fewest rushing yards per game (59.8) and yards per carry (2.9) in the NFL this season. That 59.8 rushing yards per game figure is both the third fewest by any team through the first six games of a season in the last 20 years, and the second fewest in NFL history by a team with a winning record through six games along with the 2005 Philadelphia Eagles.
Jacobs' 28 rushing touchdowns from 2024 to 2025 are tied for the second most in a two-year span in Packers history. Only Hall of Famer Jim Taylor's 34 from 1961 to 1962 are more than Jacobs' 28 the last two season.
