Rodgers leads Packers 
to 48-25 win over Lions

September 15, 2008

 

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers passes during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday.


DETROIT - Aaron Rodgers threw more touchdowns against the Detroit Lions in 1½ quarters than he had in his entire NFL career for the Green Bay Packers.

He scrambled to set up the first score, looked one way and threw another on the next and lofted a pass for the third.

Rodgers played like a veteran in his first start on the road and Jon Kitna simply fell apart in his 113th game as a No. 1 quarterback, as Green Bay beat Detroit 48-25 Sunday.

The first-round pick from 2005 said he learned a lot by watching Brett Favre play the past three years without any pressure, but he clearly didn't copy his game-day wardrobe.

Rodgers sported a pinstripe blue suit and snazzy shoes at a postgame news conference, standing behind the same podium where the three-time MVP wore a T-shirt, carpenter's pants and a scruffy beard in his last visit to Detroit.

"It's an old suit," Rodgers insisted. "But it's a go-to suit."

The Packers (2-0) didn't seem to have any doubts about Rodgers being a go-to QB when they chose to stick with him and trade Favre to the New York Jets as he came out of retirement.

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Now, it would be hard to find anybody questioning the move.

Rodgers was 24-of-38 for 328 yards and three scores — all career highs — and made several subtle plays such as throwing away passes instead of taking sacks. He did fumble twice on a third-quarter drive, though, and Detroit recovered the second one to aid its comeback.

"Aaron put together a fine performance," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "There's a couple of things that he can learn from. He did a really good job of using his feet to stay out of bad situations. He was very decisive with the ball. He threw the ball very well.

"I thought he had a nice day."

Kitna did, too, until unraveling in the final 5-plus minutes by throwing three interceptions in a seven-attempt span.

Charles Woodson had two of the picks, returning his second for a score, and Nick Collins returned the final interception for another TD.

Kitna finished 21-of-41 for 276 yards with two scores and three interceptions.

"When we needed it the most, I didn't get the job done," he said.

Kitna took off his helmet and walked to the sideline as Collins returned the third pick, looking dejected by a game that tested emotions for anyone playing or rooting for the Honolulu blue and silver.

The Packers led 21-0 midway through the second quarter, but Detroit led by a point with 7:41 left after Calvin Johnson caught his second TD in the fourth quarter.

The Packers went back ahead with a field goal on the ensuing drive, then turned the game back into a rout thanks to Kitna's interceptions.

Detroit is 0-2 for the fourth time since 2001, when Matt Millen took control as team president, beginning a stretch of futility that has sunk the franchise to an NFL-worst 31-83 over that span.

"We just go back and work. That's what I do," Lions coach Rod Marinelli bristled to a reporter. "I'm not going to give you a magic wand. You want a magic wand, you go home and take one."

Notes: Detroit RT George Foster, who couldn't block DE Aaron Kampman, was benched in the second half and replaced by first-round pick Gosder Cherilus. ... Packers FB Korey Hall (knee), S Atari Bigby (cramps), Lions S Gerald Alexander (concussion) and TE Casey FitzSimmons (thumb) were injured during the game. ... Green Bay has beaten Detroit six straight, matching the longest streak in the series since 1954, and is 14-2 in the last 16 meetings.

Associated Press