Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Jake Bates kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired to give Detroit a gutsy 34-31 win over the Green Bay Packers and clinch the Lions a playoff berth Thursday. The Lions recorded a franchise-record 11th straight NFL victory as quarterback Jared Goff completed 32 of 41 passing attempts for 283 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to wide receiver Tim Patrick. Jahmyr Gibbs also caught a touchdown pass from Goff and David Montgomery rushed for a TD as the Lions came out on top in a thrilling battle between the NFC North rivals.
Two of the Lions’ touchdowns came on fourth-down plays, and another bold fourth-down call by Detroit coach Dan Campbell paid off with 43 seconds remaining. Goff was falling down when he handed off to Montgomery, who needed one yard to keep the drive alive. Montgomery gained seven yards for a first down and Bates had a better position for his potential game-winner with no time for Green Bay to respond.
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With the win, the Lions are in the playoffs for a second straight year — the first time since 1994-95 they have made the post-season in back-to-back campaigns. Goff completed his last 13 passes, including five on the game-winning drive, which he launched with a 10-yard completion to Jameson Williams. He hit Gibbs for a fourth-down touchdown with 11 seconds left in the first half to put the Lions up 17-7 at the break. He threw a fourth-down TD pass to Patrick for a 24-21 lead with 5:02 left in the third — restoring Detroit’s advantage after the Packers opened the second half with back-to-back touchdowns.
The back-and-forth battle continued in the fourth quarter. Josh Jacobs put Green Bay up 28-24 with a four-yard touchdown run in the first minute of the fourth. Detroit responded with Goff’s second TD pass to Patrick, but Green Bay tied it at 31-31 on a 32-yard field goal by Brandon McManus with 3:38 to play. Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love connected on 12 of 20 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown to Tucker Kraft. Jacobs ran for 66 yards and three TDs. The Lions improved to 12-1 and lead the 10-2 Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North. Green Bay fell to 9-4.
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