Rodgers has 3 TDs in Packers' 34-12 win vs. Lions

November 26, 2009

 

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) throws during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions.


DETROIT - The Detroit Lions used to take a lot of pride in playing on Thanksgiving.

Lately, the Lions have been getting embarrassed when the nation tunes in to watch them.

Aaron Rodgers matched a career high with three touchdown passes and Charles Woodson grabbed two of his team's four interceptions, giving the Green Bay Packers a 34-12 win over Detroit.

The Lions have lost six straight games on the holiday, setting a franchise record, by an average of 23.2 points and eight of nine in the showcase game. The latest loss was an emotional setback for Detroit (2-9) four days after Matthew Stafford's gutsy play capped its biggest comeback win since 1957.

"It's a different feeling in this locker room — especially on national television to come out like that," Detroit center Dominic Raiola said.

Before its recent slide, Detroit won four straight and nine of 12 on Thanksgiving before ex-general manager Matt Millen arrived in 2001 and made a lackluster franchise awful.

Green Bay (7-4) has won three straight since losing to Tampa Bay to improve its postseason prospects.

"We can't talk about the playoffs yet," Packers receiver Donald Driver said.

Stafford, playing with a sore non-throwing shoulder, threw one touchdown pass and four interceptions. He threw five TD passes in Sunday's win over Cleveland after trailing by 21.

"When you've got to throw the ball every down to try to get back into it when you're behind, guys are going to be all over it," Stafford said.

Kevin Smith's longest run was 6 yards and he finished with 43 on 18 carries for the Lions.

"This is the type of game that you hit your head on a wall about," Smith said.

The Lions looked as if they were building off their rare momentum by recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff and with Stafford's TD pass to Calvin Johnson.

But the Packers scored 27 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to turn the game into a familiar rout.

"We had to dig deep," Rodgers said. "There's a lot of resolve in this team and I'm confident in our team moving forward."

The Packers have won nine straight against the Lions overall, and coach Mike McCarthy is 8-0 against them.

Woodson returned his second interception for a score late in the game and struck a Heisman Trophy pose in the end zone. Woodson won the award in 1997 while leading Michigan to a national championship.

"Being here in Michigan with all the fans I know I still have here," Woodson said. "I just wanted to remind those guys what it was like back when I was in school."

Woodson also forced and recovered a fumble and had a sack, capping an afternoon that included an announcement of his $2 million gift to the new University of Michigan Mott Children's Hospital.

"It was a good day," Woodson said with a grin.

It was for Rodgers, too, as usual against the Lions.

Rodgers was 28 of 39 for 348 yards and connected with Driver, Donald Lee and James Jones for scores. He has played Detroit four times and those passing totals rank among the top eight in his career.

Driver had seven receptions for 142 yards, including a 68-yard catch, and a TD that gave the Packers a 20-7 lead midway through the third quarter.

Rodgers and Driver both credited their much-maligned offensive line.

"There were a couple times when I held the ball for 4 or 5 seconds — maybe more," Rodgers said. "When you have that kind of time with the kind of players that we have, we feel like we're going to make plays."

Green Bay played without cornerback Al Harris and linebacker Aaron Kampman, both of whom had season-ending knee injuries in last week's win.

"Our defense was huge," McCarthy said. "That was the No. 1 factor in our success."

Stafford was only 20 of 43 yards for 213 yards, and his four interceptions were one fewer than he had earlier this season. He was listed as doubtful for the game because of his shoulder injury, but his decision-making seemed to be more of a problem than his health.

"I don't think (the injured shoulder) was a factor at all," Stafford said.

Johnson, who was questionable with hand and knee injuries, only had a 9-yard catch to go with his 1-yard score.

In Detroit's last game, Stafford broke an NFL rookie record with 422 yards passing, became the youngest player to throw five TD passes in a game and drew praise for playing with a dislocated, non-throwing shoulder on the final untimed play.

"I told him after the game, 'Around the league, we respect a guy who will come in hurt,'" Woodson said.

NOTES: Detroit rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew, a first-round pick, hurt his left knee on the first drive and did not return. .. Green Bay OT Chad Clifton (hamstring) and Jordy Nelson (shoulder) were injured during the game. ... Stafford joined Dan Marino, Dave Krieg and Vince Ferragamo as the four QBs who have thrown four INTs a game after throwing at least five TDs since 1970, according to STATS, LLC. ... The Lions are 33-35-2 on Thanksgiving.


Lions endure another blowout on Thanksgiving

DETROIT - The Lions' 70th Thanksgiving Day game wasn't supposed to be just another game this year. Coach Jim Schwartz had made a point to say it was something special and worth protecting. Maybe a statement game the rest of the country could watch so that it would keep its mitts off Detroit's tradition.

But Thanksgiving Day looked a lot more like Groundhog Day in yet another big loss at Ford Field. The Lions fell, 34-12, to Green Bay and dropped their sixth straight on the holiday — which set a record for the longest losing streak in the game. They have been outscored in six losses, 213-74.

Matthew Stafford had trouble reprising his heroic role from Sunday's comeback win over Cleveland. The rookie quarterback played through a left shoulder injury but threw four interceptions — two to former Michigan star Charles Woodson, who returned one 38 yards for a touchdown . In all, the Packers converted three of the picks into 17 points and Stafford's 30.5 passer rating was his lowest since the season opener.

"Yeah, I mean, obviously it's tough," Stafford said. "I don't want to play like this, don't want to turn the ball over as much as I did — that sort of thing. The only thing you can do is keep coming back to work, get ready for the next one."

Still, the Lions started off with a bang.

First, their two biggest stars, Stafford and receiver Calvin Johnson, shrugged off injuries and started. Jordon Dizon recovered the opening kickoff for the Lions after Turk McBride forced a fumble by Jordy Nelson. That set up a 1-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Johnson for a 7-0 lead less than 2 minutes into the game.

The Lions (2-9) appeared to be extending Sunday's magical ending. But Johnson would catch only one more pass the rest of the game for a total of 10 yards and the Lions wouldn't score again until the fourth quarter.

"It's a different feeling in this locker room, especially with a nationally televised game to come out like that," center Dominic Raiola said. "We came out strong, we just never took advantage of anything and they did."

Receiver Donald Driver paced the Packers (7-4) with seven catches for 142 yards and one touchdown. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a field day picking apart the Lions' secondary. He was 28-for-39 for 348 yards with three touchdowns.

Rodgers was politic when asked if the Lions' defense was predictable.

"I wouldn't say predictable," he said. "I'd say that'd be a slight at Coach Schwartz and their defensive players. I think they stayed aggressive on defense."

But it rarely showed. The Lions brought little pressure and Rodgers had plenty of time to find targets as the Packers completed 56 percent of their third downs.

On offense, the Lions struggled to move the ball in any fashion with only 272 yards on offense. On the ground, they gained only 73 yards — with 43 yards on 18 carries by Kevin Smith — while playing mostly against a run-susceptible defense.

Schwartz had spoken earnestly about protecting the team's Thanksgiving tradition, about putting "barbed wire" around it and silencing future talk about the Lions losing the game for lack of competitiveness.

Now? The talk just may be starting again.

"Sure, why not?" said kicker Jason Hanson, who defended the team's tradition after playing in his 18th Thanksgiving game. "Why would it go down? I don't really care. What is there to say? It's out of our control. It's a huge business. Of course people are going to say that."
 


Schwartz says he doesn't regret starting Stafford

ALLEN PARK, Mich. - Lions coach Jim Schwartz says he doesn't regret starting Matthew Stafford.

Schwartz said Friday there's "no second guessing at all" a day after the rookie quarterback threw four interceptions in a 34-12 loss to Green Bay, Detroit's sixth straight Thanksgiving defeat.

Stafford threw five touchdowns in a dramatic Nov. 22 win over Cleveland that saw him return to the field to throw the game-winning touchdown after separating his non-throwing shoulder.

Schwartz says his quarterback showed improvement the day before the Green Bay game.


Packers enter long break on a roll

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Two weeks ago, the Green Bay Packers' season was at a crossroads.

They had just suffered a humiliating loss to the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers, dropping to a 4-4 record.

After beating the Detroit Lions 34-12 in a Thanksgiving road game Thursday, the Packers (7-4) have three consecutive wins in 12 days.

Idle until a Monday night game against the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 7, coach Mike McCarthy is giving the players the next three days off.

They'll reconvene Monday brimming with confidence after another dominating performance by the defense, led by playmaking cornerback Charles Woodson, and some big throws by quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

 

Associated Press