GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Jordan Love threw a pair of touchdown passes and Micah Parsons produced a sack in his Green Bay debut as the Packers delivered an exceptional defensive performance in a 27-13 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Opening a season at home for the first time since 2018, the Packers beat the two-time defending NFC North champions after going 1-5 in divisional games last year. The Packers won their 13th consecutive home opener, giving them the longest such streak since the Miami Dolphins also won 13 straight from 1976-88.
After getting outscored 99-40 in the first half of NFC North games last season, the Packers got points on their opening three possessions Sunday to take a 17-3 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Love went 16 of 22 for 188 yards with touchdown passes of 15 yards to Tucker Kraft and 17 yards to Jayden Reed. Josh Jacobs added a three-yard score in the fourth quarter, giving him a touchdown in a franchise-record nine straight games.
The Lions, who scored an NFL-high 33.2 points per game last season, didn’t reach the end zone until the final minute against a Green Bay defense featuring Parsons, who got a huge ovation from the Lambeau Field crowd when he was introduced before the game.
Green Bay acquired the star edge rusher from the Dallas Cowboys in a blockbuster trade a week before the start of the season. Parsons got his first sack as a Packer with just over four minutes left in the game. He also applied pressure that led to Evan Williams’ second-quarter interception, thwarting a Lions scoring opportunity.
The Lions had won at Lambeau Field each of the last three seasons but never gave themselves much of an opportunity this time after dealing with various offseason changes.
Detroit lost four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow to retirement and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to head coaching opportunities after going 15-2 and setting a franchise record for wins last season.
Jared Goff went 31 of 39 for 225 yards with a touchdown and an interception. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs were held to a combined 44 yards on 20 carries.
The Lions netted just six points from their first three drives into the red zone before Detroit scored its lone touchdown on a 13-yard pass from Goff to Isaac TeSlaa with 55 seconds left.
Trailing 17-6 in the third quarter, Detroit appeared on the verge of getting back into the game in the third quarter when Brian Branch scored an apparent touchdown on a 35-yard interception return. But a defensive holding penalty on Rock Ya-Sin nullified the play.
Green Bay then scored the next 10 points to put the game away.
Injuries
Lions safety Daniel Thomas injured his hand in the first quarter. The Lions announced that cornerback Terrion Arnold injured his groin in the third quarter.
Packers cornerback Nate Hobbs, who had been listed as questionable, didn’t play after undergoing knee surgery during training camp. Packers cornerback Bo Melton (shoulder), defensive lineman Brenton Cox (groin), offensive tackle Zach Tom (hip) and guard Aaron Banks (ankle) left in the second half.
Up next
The Packers host the Washington Commanders on Thursday night.
The Lions open their home schedule against the Chicago Bears next Sunday.
