Lions Edge Packers 20-17 on Last-Second Field Goal After Wild Finish at Ford Field

Jake Bates’ final-second field goal lifted the Detroit Lions to a 20-17 win over the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field on Sunday, capping a wild NFC North showdown that was decided by turnovers, fourth-down gambles and a handful of officiating calls that left Packers coach Matt LaFleur furious. The loss drops Green Bay to 4-3 and into last place in the division, while Detroit improves to 4-2.

The Packers arrived in Detroit riding a three-game winning streak behind Jordan Love, who has been one of the league’s more aggressive deep-ball passers. The Lions, meanwhile, entered with a high-powered offense under first-year coordinator Drew Petzing and the NFL’s worst pass defense through six weeks. Sunday’s game put both of those identities on full display in a contest that was tied at 17 in the final minutes.

Goff and Gibbs Deliver When It Mattered

Detroit got on the board first, with Jared Goff moving the Lions 80 yards in six plays and finding Jameson Williams for a 16-yard touchdown. Goff finished 22-of-32 for 303 yards and two touchdowns, including 153 yards to Amon-Ra St. Brown, and he now has 14 touchdown passes without an interception this season. Williams added a second score to put Detroit up 17-14 in the third quarter.

When the game was on the line, running back Jahmyr Gibbs took over. He finished with 116 rushing yards, 37 of them on the final drive, and he broke a tackle on a 15-yard run that helped Detroit chew up the clock after a Packers penalty extended the possession. Bates then drove home the winning kick as time expired. Fans in Michigan looking to back the Lions the rest of the way can check the Michigan sportsbook options before the Vikings visit Ford Field next Sunday.

Packers Undone by Mistakes and Calls

Green Bay had its chances, starting with the opening drive. A delay-of-game penalty pushed the Packers back five yards in the red zone, and kicker Trey Smack missed a 26-yard field goal. Love answered Detroit’s first score with a 12-play, 74-yard drive that ended in a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tucker Kraft. Love finished 27-of-45 for 274 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception, a deep ball picked off by returning Lions safety Brian Branch.

The turning points came in the red zone. LaFleur went for it on fourth-and-4 from the Detroit 7 late in the second quarter instead of kicking a tying field goal, and Matthew Golden was stopped for no gain. Late in the fourth quarter, with the game tied at 17, Detroit’s offense was stopped on fourth-and-1 and Green Bay took over at the Lions’ 22. Josh Jacobs then dropped a third-down pass in the end zone, and Smack missed a 38-yard attempt that was tipped at the line.

Jacobs, making his season debut after coming off the commissioner’s exempt list, scored on a 25-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the third quarter but managed only 36 yards on 11 carries. The Packers rushed for just 60 yards as a team and have yet to hit 100 net rushing yards in a game this season.

The Calls That Swung the Finish

The finish was dominated by flags. With the score tied, Packers defensive lineman Karl Brooks was flagged for roughing the passer after hitting Goff on a 17-yard completion to tight end Sam LaPorta. Then, on third-and-5 at the two-minute warning, Brooks jumped offside to give Detroit a first down, allowing the Lions to run the clock down before Bates’ game-winner. Earlier, a roughing-the-passer penalty on Brenton Cox had kept a Lions drive alive, and an intentional grounding call on Love, flagged even though he was throwing the ball away near Kraft, pushed Green Bay backward at a critical moment. LaFleur was visibly angry on the sideline after another flag that went against his team in the third quarter.

For Green Bay, the schedule offers no time to dwell. The Packers return home to host the Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football. For Detroit, the focus shifts to a Vikings team that remains undefeated, and the NFC North race that looked lopsided a few weeks ago is now tightly packed. Bettors tracking the next round of lines can compare the latest Fanatics Sportsbook promo alongside other offers heading into Week 8.