Lions pounce on Packers, end Thanksgiving losing skid
DETROIT – The Detroit Lions' defensive linemen said the insults didn't make a difference, but there's no doubt they heard what Green Bay Packers guard Josh Sitton had to say.
Coach Jim Schwartz poked fun at Sitton's remarks in a team meeting Wednesday night. Quarterback Matthew Stafford brought them up again in his pregame breakdown.
And when big, bad Ndamukong Suh got Matt Flynn in his grasp late in the third quarter Thursday, he gently laid down the Packers' latest quarterback in the end zone.
Game, Scumbags.
"A lot of people have their opinions," Suh said after the Lions completed the 40-10 rout of their NFC North rivals, snapping a nine-year Thanksgiving losing streak and taking a half-game division lead. "People have opinions about me. We just go out there and play."
BOX SCORE: Lions 40, Packers 10
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Sitton didn't back off his remarks Thursday, two days after he called the Lions and their coach names and accused the defense of taking cheap shots on quarterbacks in a radio interview.
But the Lions didn't need to resort to dirty tactics to overcome four turnovers Thursday. They simply dominated the Aaron Rodgers-less Packers on both sides of the ball, running away with massive advantages in yards (561-126), first downs (30-7) and time of possession (40:26-19:34).
"We got our ass beat, plain and simple," Sitton said. "They smacked us today. There is no doubt about it. We have been playing this game a long time, and this is one of the worst beats I have ever been a part of. It's embarrassing."
The Lions scored the game's last 37 points after trailing 10-3 in the second quarter, thanks to a Reggie Bush red-zone fumble, a 54-yard Mason Crosby field goal and a Stafford fumble that safety Morgan Burnett scooped for the Packers' lone touchdown.
From there, Stafford guided three touchdown drives in four possessions at the same time Flynn and the Packers – 0-4-1 since Rodgers broke his collarbone Nov. 4 – were going three-and-out four consecutive times.
When Joique Bell scored a 1-yard touchdown to make it a 23-point lead after Suh's safety, it was the Packers who lost their cool, with cornerback Tramon Williams drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for shoving back judge Dino Paganelli's arm.
"We've never been in this situation before," said Williams, who also appeared to kick at a Lions player after a pancake block on another drive. "Any man would be frustrated. I've never witnessed this before in my career in Green Bay."
The Packers' four-year playoff streak is in peril at 5-6-1, even if Rodgers – spotted slinging 50-yard passes during a pregame throwing session – makes it back for their next game Dec. 8 against Atlanta.
The Lions, who had lost the previous two games to Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, moved into first place at 7-5, pending the Chicago Bears' visit to Minnesota on Sunday.
"A couple years ago, we were easily sidetracked," Schwartz said. "I think there were some teams that sort of baited us in to some fouls and things like that, and we didn't always respond in the best way. I think we have grown as a team. "
Did anyone try to bait them Thursday?
"They pretty much didn't have anything to say," Lions defensive tackle C.J. Mosley said. "I wouldn't either. You have to put points on the board to say anything."
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The Lions hadn't won on Thanksgiving since Nov. 27, 2003, also against the Packers. They didn't need any extra motivation to change that Thursday.
But Stafford made sure before kickoff no one forgot they were about to face a team, or at least one player, that regarded them as "scumbags" and "dirtbags," among other things.
"I said, 'This is my favorite time of the week, when the game comes, because talk is cheap and now it's time to go do something about it,'" said Stafford, who had three of the Lions' turnovers but also threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns.
"Our guys responded in the way (of) not only how they got after the passer, how they stopped the run, but just the poise. ...We were just getting after it and playing good, old-fashioned football."
Rookie Eddie Lacy, a bright spot in the Packers' brutal stretch, managed just 16 yards on 10 carries. That allowed the Lions to turn loose the rush on Flynn, who took seven sacks and finished 10-of-20 passing for 139 yards with an interception and a lost fumble.
The injury-riddled road from Rodgers to Seneca Wallace to Scott Tolzien to Flynn has proven steeper even than the Packers could have feared.
"You can't say, 'Hey, we can go and play just as good without Aaron,'" Sitton said. "We haven't won a game without him in five weeks. He's the best player on this team."
The Lions, who visit Philadelphia next, are the only NFC North team to start one quarterback all season – albeit one who was booed after the early strip-sack gave the Packers seven points.
For the first time in a decade, they restored holiday cheer to the crowd of 64,394 long before Kevin Ogletree's one-handed touchdown catch capped the scoring with 4:17 to go.
"I'm sure the turkey will taste better and all that," Stafford said. "I'm just proud of our team and the way we played for four quarters and didn't let anything derail us."
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