The Associated Press
GREEN BAY, Wis.–Matthew Stafford put on a quarterback clinic for the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field.
Aaron Rodgers only could watch from the sideline.
Stafford passed for 361 yards and two touchdowns to Marvin Jones as the Lions snapped a three-game losing streak with a 30-17 win over the offensively-challenged Green Bay Packers last night.
“Matt [made] some great throws . . . I just did what I love to do–go out there and get them,” Jones said.
Stafford was 26-of-33, including 12-of-14 in the first half with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jones.
Ameer Abdullah added a four-yard touchdown run for Detroit (4-4).
Green Bay (4-4) finally got in the end zone on Brett Hundley’s one-yard quarterback sneak with 9:52 left.
The Lions answered with Stafford’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Jones with 8:06 remaining, putting the game out of reach with a 17-point lead.
The Packers now have lost three -straight games. Their once-potent offence has struggled since Rodgers broke his right collarbone Oct. 15 at Minnesota.
Cornerback Darius Slay blanketed Jordy Nelson when the Packers did try to throw long while the game still was competitive.
“With this one, obviously it doesn’t get a whole lot better than this. We played well,” said Lions’ coach Jim Caldwell.
Abdullah fumbled the ball away in the third quarter but the Packers went three-and-out on the ensuing drive.
Familiar problems in the red zone popped up for the Lions when they were stopped on three plays at the Packers’ one-yard line, forced to settle for a field goal for a 17-point lead with 12:25 left.
But without Rodgers, the Packers couldn’t keep up with the rocket-armed Stafford.
“I believe in Brett, that’s not just a press conference statement,” coach Mike McCarthy said about Hundley.
The Lions were 8-of-13 on third-down conversions, with Stafford burning the Packers with clutch throws.
The Packers were just 2-of-9 on third downs and failed to convert both of their fourth-down chances.
“They controlled the third-down battle tonight,” McCarthy noted.
“We have work to do,” he added. “That’s the fact of the matter and we have to do it fast.”
The Lions’ opening score was set up by an unnecessary roughness penalty on Mike Daniels after the defensive lineman appeared to head-butt Detroit centre Travis Swanson.
The flag negated an incompletion on third-and-15 that would have forced the Lions to punt from their own 25.
Stafford connected with Jones for the touchdown pass five plays later.
