Packers beat Lions 27-20, take NFC North lead

December 10, 2012
 
Green Bay Packers' Randall Cobb makes a one-handed catch during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, in Green Bay, Wis.

GREEN BAY, Wis. - The Green Bay Packers added even more spice to next weekend's game in Chicago, moving within one win of the NFC North title with their 27-20 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.

DaJuan Harris rushed for a score in the first NFL game of his career, Aaron Rodgers added the longest TD run of his career and Mike Daniels returned a fumble 43 yards as the Packers (9-4) opened a one-game lead over Chicago. Beat the Bears next weekend at Soldier Field, and Green Bay wins the NFC North for a second straight year.

Calvin Johnson had 118 yards receiving to put him over 1,500 for the year, but it wasn't enough to keep the Lions (4-9) from dropping their fifth straight. This was the third straight game they've blown a lead of 10-plus points, tying an NFL record shared by six other teams. After touchdowns on their first two drives, the Lions could only manage a pair of field goals by Jason Hanson.

The Packers have now won 22 straight at home against the Lions, the longest streak in the NFL.

Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy likes to say that all division games are big, but this one got even bigger when Chicago lost to Minnesota earlier in the day. If the Packers win the division, it would be quite a turnaround from their 2-3 start.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) tries to run between Detroit Lions' Nick Fairley (98) and DeAndre Levy (54) during the first half.

Beating the Lions seemed like it would be the easy part, but Green Bay was sluggish for most of the first half. But Daniels' fumble recovery seemed to energize the Packers, and they took the lead on a 27-yard scoring run by Rodgers in the third quarter.

Peering through the flurries that made Lambeau Field look like a snow globe for most of the night, Rodgers was trying to find someone — anyone — to throw to on third-and-4. With Lions defensive end Willie Young closing in, Rodgers scrambled away and found a hole on the right side. He ran untouched down the sideline, holding the ball out as he crossed the goal line.

It was the longest TD run of his career, and the Packers' longest on the ground this season.

The Packers have struggled to get their running game going all season, and were forced to bring back veteran Ryan Grant this week after oft-injured James Starks hurt his knee in last week's win over Minnesota. Cedric Benson is on injured reserve with a sprained foot.

But with the winter's first significant storm at Lambeau Field, the Packers finally got in gear on the ground. They rushed for 140 yards, and got contributions from all of their running backs on the go-ahead drive.

Alex Green rushed for 29 yards on the first four plays, then Grant broke off a 13-yard gain. Then it was Harris' turn. Elevated from the practice squad just eight days ago, his 5-yard gain put the Packers at the Detroit 14. He strolled in untouched on the next play, giving the Packers a 24-17 lead.

It was the second touchdown rushing of the night, the first time since last Dec. 11 the Packers had two scores on the ground in one game. It also almost doubled their total for the season, giving them five touchdowns on the ground.

The Lions pulled within a score on Hanson's 34-yard field goal with 7 seconds left. But the onside kick went out of bounds, and the Packers ran out the clock.

Green Bay Packers' Randall Cobb leaps over Detroit Lions' Don Carey (32) as he runs back a kick during the first half.

Cutler expects to play for Bears against Packers

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler says he expects to play this week against Green Bay.

Cutler says "unless something drastic happens, absolutely" he will be ready to play against the Packers after leaving Sunday's loss at Minnesota with a sore neck. He says he got treatment on Monday and "should be ready to go later in the week."
 
Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, center, reacts as he sits on the bench after getting injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, in Minneapolis.

Cutler spoke during his weekly appearance on the "Waddle & Silvy Show" on Chicago's WMVP-AM 1000.

Cutler was hurt during a hit from Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen in the fourth quarter, and he stayed in for the remainder of the drive before coming out. Cutler missed a game against San Francisco on Nov. 19 because of a concussion.
 

Smith says Bears still control playoff hopes

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Coach Lovie Smith realizes the Chicago Bears no longer control their fate in the NFC North. Their playoff hopes still are in their hands, though.

That's something Smith emphasized Monday on the heels of an ugly loss at Minnesota that knocked the Bears (8-5) out of first place in the division. They've dropped four of five and are free falling for the second straight year with Green Bay coming to Soldier Field this weekend.

If the Packers (9-4) win, they clinch the division and a wild card is no sure thing for Chicago. The Bears were sixth in the NFC after Sunday's loss, with Washington, Dallas and Minnesota a game behind them.

"We need a little bit of help as far as the division is concerned," Smith said. "But we do control our playoff hopes. That's what we have to lay everything we do right now on, to just play better football."


 
Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith looks on during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, in Minneapolis.

That's something the Bears haven't done since they racked up 51 points in a win at Tennessee on Nov. 4. They were 7-1 after that game, but the schedule took a tougher turn with back-to-back losses against Houston and San Francisco that started this slide.

It lightens up after this week with games against Arizona and Detroit to close the season, although both are on the road. The Bears could get into the playoffs with fewer than 11 wins, but it might come down to tiebreakers.

"The pressure we're feeling right now is on our performances," Smith said. "Improving, it's on us. We talked about someone else controlling the division, but what happens to us, it doesn't' really matter about the teams ahead of us or the teams behind us right now. It's just what we do. We're not looking at that at all. ... We have the Packers coming in and that's enough right there for all of our thoughts to just go on them."

The recent skid has only fueled the notion that the early run had as much to do with who the Bears were playing as it did with how good they are.

It's also sparked memories of last year's collapse and renewed speculation about Smith's future. He was spared at the end of last season while then-general manager Jerry Angelo got the ax, after the Bears went from 7-3 to finishing at 8-8.

New GM Phil Emery had a mandate to keep the coach for this season, but beyond that?

"I think every day I've been here, each day I think all of us come to work we're going to do the best job we possibly can," said Smith, who's signed through 2013. "All of our futures are tied. It's all based on wins and losses, really, and I'm OK with that."

The Bears have lost all the momentum they had in the early going, just as they did after Cutler broke his right thumb last season.

He was unable to finish the game against Houston because of a concussion and missed the next game at San Francisco. Against Minnesota, Cutler had to leave in the fourth quarter because of a sore neck.

Cutler took a hit to the head by Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen that drew a penalty, but he said afterward his neck was bothering him all afternoon and worsened as the game went on. Cutler finished that drive before Jason Campbell took over, but he doesn't expect to miss any more time.

He said Monday during his weekly appearance on the "Waddle & Silvy Show" on Chicago's WMVP-AM 1000 that "unless something drastic happens, absolutely" he will be ready to play against the Packers.

Kicker Robbie Gould also strained his left calf during warmups. He did handle extra points and an onside kick but ceded kickoff duties to punter Adam Podlesh. The Bears did not attempt any field goals, so it's not clear if Gould or Podlesh would have handled them. Smith did not rule out bringing in kickers for tryouts this week in case Gould isn't ready.

The Bears could point to a long list of injuries in recent weeks, with Brian Urlacher (hamstring) possibly out for the remainder of the season and cornerback Tim Jennings (shoulder) sidelined against Minnesota. But that only partially explains the poor execution on both sides of the ball, the lack of big plays on defense.

They were supposed to be built to weather them, anyway. And at the moment, the Packers are rolling despite a run of injuries that would have derailed most teams.

"Right now we just have to win out," receiver Brandon Marshall said after the loss at Minnesota. "It doesn't matter. Forget the Xs and Os, forget the first 11, 12 games of the season. All of that doesn't matter at this point. We have the guys in this locker room that can get it done and we have to get it done."

Associated Press