Lions Vs. Packers Final Score: Late TD Lifts Green Bay Past Detroit 45-41

With the top spot in the NFC locked up, the Green Bay Packers rested several key players in the final week of the season but they weren't in any hurry to end the regular season. Instead they let backup quarterback Matt Flynn air it up early and often to lead the Packers to a wild 45-41win over the Detroit Lions.

The numbers from this game are staggering with the ball in the air so often that the game nearly took four hours to play. It was the first NFL game in which both quarterbacks threw for at least 400 yards and five touchdowns.

Matt Flynn apparently has been paying close attention to Aaron Rodgers because he put up passing numbers that made Rodgers look pedestrian. Flynn completed 31 of 44 passes for 480 yards with six touchdowns and just one interception including the game-winning touchdown pass to Jermichael Finley with 1:10 left in the game.

Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford threw it all day as well, completing 36 of 59 passes for 520 yards with five touchdowns on two interceptions. The last pick was thrown with 25 seconds left to finally end the wild day at Lambeau Field.

Yes, those numbers are real. Flynn and Stafford combined to throw 103 passes and rack up 1,000 yards passing between them. The Lions only rushed the ball 15 times on the day as they tried to keep pace with the Packers all day.

With all of that passing yardage there were some big days for receivers with Jordy Nelson leading the way for Green Bay by catching nine passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns. Calvin Johnson added another monster day to his season with 11 catches for 244 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Pettigrew also caught seven passes for 116 yards.

The loss may prove costly for the Lions with Atlanta rolling over Tampa Bay in the first half of their game. If Atlanta holds on to win, Detroit will drop to the No. 6 seed in the NFC which sets up a first-round playoff game with the New Orleans Saints.

For all news and information regarding the Detroit Lions, please visit Pride of Detroit. For updates on the Green Bay Packers, head on over to Acme Packing Company.

Lions Vs. Packers Score Update: Green Bay Up On Detroit At Half, 24-19

This picture just about sums up what felt like the longest half ever:

The Lions aren't only struggling with the Matt Flynn led Packers, but they are also having some problems with the referees. Jim Schwartz lost his challenges after he had to challenge two plays that he should not have had to challenge and it ultimately cost the Lions points.

On the second challenge (of a Stefan Logan fumble after he was down), the bad call on the field mixed with terrible camera angles resulted in the call standing and Schwartz losing the challenge (thus, the Lions losing the ball).

The Lions intercepted a Flynn pass to make up for the turnover; however, a Titus Young touchdown was called incomplete and, because the Lions did not have any challenges left, there was nothing Schwartz could do but what he's doing in the above image. Replays showed that Young made a miraculous catch and the Lions ultimately had to settle for a field goal.

The Lions trail 24-19 at the half, and it should be 24-23, but the Lions have shot themselves in the foot a few times on their own, including breakdowns on defense, a dropped pass inside the Packers' 10 by Calvin Johnson, and a missed field goal. The refs aren't helping matters, but the Lions are having their own problems with the Packers, who are playing without a handful of their better players.

Stafford is 16-of-29 for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Flynn has 280 yards, three touchdowns and an interception for the Packers.

The Lions will start with the ball in the second half.

For all news and information regarding the Detroit Lions, please visit Pride of Detroit. For updates on the Green Bay Packers, head on over to Acme Packing Company.

VIDEO: Calvin Johnson's Team-Record 16th Touchdown Vs. Packers

Lions Vs. Packers Score Update: Green Bay Comes Back To Take 10-9 Through First Quarter

The Detroit Lions took a quick 9-0 lead in the first three minutes of the game, but the Packers have come storming back to take a 10-9 lead through the first 15 minutes of play.

After the Lions were given two points by Pat Lee, they went three-and-out and allowed the Packers to put together a 15 play drive that resulted in a Mason Crosby 22 yard chip shot.

The Lions were in the midst of putting together a drive on the ensuing possession, but Kevin Smith fumbled it back to Green Bay at the Lions' 47 yard line. Green Bay scored seven plays later on a Jordy Nelson seven yard catch in which he stiff armed Alphonso Smith silly.

The Lions will start with the ball at the 37 yard line when the second quarter resumes.

For all news and information regarding the Detroit Lions, please visit Pride of Detroit. For updates on the Green Bay Packers, head on over to Acme Packing Company.

Lions Vs. Packers Score Update: Detroit Leads 9-0 3 Minutes Into First Quarter

The Detroit Lions, going for their first win at Lambeau Field in 20 years, had a 9-0 lead just 3:01 into the game.

The Packers started with the ball and completed a 17 yard pass on first down, but Matt Flynn -- starting in place of Aaron Rodgers today -- fumbled on third down of the next set of downs and it was recovered by the Lions' Stephen Tulloch.

Starting well within Packers' territory, the Lions went into a no huddle offense and scored four plays in on an eight yard pass from Matthew Stafford to Titus Young. The throw was a perfect pass to Young's back shoulder, similar to the kind of passes that have made Rodgers so lethal for the Packers.

On the ensuing kickoff, Packers' return man Pat Lee (who was ejected from the Thanksgiving game for throwing a punch), misplayed the kick, allowing it to hit his knee and bounce past the plane. Instead of picking it up and running with it as he had to do since it crossed the goal line, Lee picked it up, took it back into the end zone and went to a knee. Yes, that's a safety.

Here's video:

The Lions went three-and-out on their free possession and the Packers are about to get the ball back down 9-0.

For all news and information regarding the Detroit Lions, please visit Pride of Detroit. For updates on the Green Bay Packers, head on over to Acme Packing Company.

Lions Vs. Packers: Aaron Rodgers Tops List Of Inactive Players In Week 17

The Detroit Lions have been listed as the favorites in their Week 17 against the Green Bay Packers ever since it was announced that most of the Packers starters will be getting some time off to prepare for the postseason. The news for the Lions got a whole lot better on Sunday morning when the full inactives lists were released prior to the last regular-season game at Lambeau Field.

Packers Inactives:

QB Aaron Rodgers
WR Randall Cobb
CB Charles Woodson
RB James Starks
LB Clay Matthews
T Bryan Bulaga
WR Greg Jennings

The Packers starting lineup changes, courtesy of Duke Bobber at the official Packers blog:

On offense, #10 Matt Flynn will start at quarterback in place of #12 Aaron Rodgers. #74 Marshall Newhouse will start at right tackle in place of #75 Bryan Bulaga. #87 Jordy Nelson will start at wide receiver in place of #85 Greg Jennings. On defense, #37 Sam Shields will start at cornerback in place of #21 Charles Woodson. #59 Brad Jones will start at left outside linebacker in place of #52 Clay Matthews. #58 Frank Zombo will start at right outside linebacker in place of #93 Erik Walden.

Lions Inactives:

DT Corey Williams
S Louis Delmas
RB Joique Bell
QB Drew Stanton
CB Aaron Berry
S Ricardo Silva
OL Leonard Davis

The Detroit inactives list comes via Philip Zaroo.

For all news and information regarding the Detroit Lions, please visit Pride of Detroit. For updates on the Green Bay Packers, head on over to Acme Packing Company.

Lions Vs. Packers: Time, TV Schedule, Radio Streaming And More

The Detroit Lions have plenty to fight for on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. While their opponents have already secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC and it's likely they'll be resting some of the starters, the Lions can still play for better playoff positioning heading into the wild card round. Winning or losing means the difference between playing one of the San Francisco 49ers or New Orleans Saints and one of the Dallas Cowboys or New York Giants.

Both of the two teams they'd play if they lost have already beat them this season, so needless to say, the Lions will be looking for a win on Sunday. It really all comes down to how many of Green Bay's players will rest - especially quarterback Aaron Rodgers. All three quarterbacks on their depth chart have been getting work this week, but it's unclear how much Rodgers plays, if at all.

Game Date/Time: Sunday, January 1st, 1:00 p.m. ET

Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI

TV Schedule: FOX (TV Distribution Map)

TV Announcers: Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick

Radio: 97.1 The Ticket (WXYT-FM)

For more on the Detroit Lions, check out Pride of Detroit. For an opposing view, you can head to Acme Packing Company. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NFL hub at SBNation.com/NFL.

Detroit Lions Injury Report, Week 17: Calvin Johnson Will Probably Play

The Detroit Lions are already in the playoffs, but can lock up the fifth seed with a victory in their regular season finale when they play the Green Bay Packers this weekend. The team's injury report didn't look promising earlier in the week, but the status of wide receiver Calvin Johnson has helped things quite a bit heading into Week 17.

Johnson didn't practice on Wednesday or Thursday as he tried to get over an Achilles injury, but Megatron apparently recovered just fine as he's listed as probable for Sunday's game. Considering he was limited in Friday's practice, though, he may not be quite as healthy as he should be.

No players are listed as out for the Lions, but defensive backs Aaron Berry and Louis Delmas are both doubtful. The full injury report is available here.

For more on the Lions, check out Pride of Detroit. For the flip-side, you can check out our Packers blog at Acme Packing Company. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NFL hub at SBNation.com/NFL.

Green Bay Packers Injury Report, Week 17: James Starks, Greg Jennings Officially Out

The Green Bay Packers have nothing left to play for during the final week of the regular season as they've already clinched homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, but a win against their NFC North compadres in the Detroit Lions would still give them momentum heading into the playoffs. The Green Bay Packers final injury report for Week 17 indicates that might be a difficult process, however.

The Packers listed two starters at skill positions as out on Friday, meaning both wide receiver Greg Jennings and running back James Starks are going to be in street clothes on the sidelines Sunday afternoon. Both players are dealing with knee injuries.

Along with Starks and Jennings, rookie wide receiver/kick returner Randall Cobb is also listed as out with a groin injury. Offensive lineman Brian Bulaga is listed as doubtful, Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson are questionable and the remaing players on Friday's injury report are probable.

For more on the Lions, check out Pride of Detroit. For the flip-side, you can check out our Packers blog at Acme Packing Company. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NFL hub at SBNation.com/NFL.

Aaron Rodgers' Playing Time Still In Question; Matt Flynn And Graham Harrell Getting Reps

The Detroit Lions have a lot to play for in Week 17, as they take on the division rival Green Bay Packers. Their opponents, however, don't have any reason to go all-out at this point. Green Bay has clinched the division, the best record in the NFC and as such, a No. 1 seed in the conference, which comes with a first-round bye. They're likely to rest a lot of the starters, while the Lions are still fighting for better seeding to get a potentially more favorable matchup in the first round of the playoffs.

On one hand, they could take on either the New Orleans Saints or San Francisco 49ers - both of whom they've lost to this season. On the other hand, they could take on either the Dallas Cowboys of New York Giants, matchups which Detroit could be favored in. It all really comes down to which starters the Packers decide to rest.

Most importantly, it depends on how head coach Mike McCarthy decides to roll with his quarterbacks, namely Aaron Rodgers. Jason Wilde spoke with Rodgers on Friday, and Rodgers didn't give away much:

Rodgers: "What did Mike say?" Answer to "Are you playing?": Big smile, then, "I'm going to leave it up to Mike. I'll let Mike answer that."

So what about McCarthy, has he given anything away? Only that it's likely the other quarterbacks would get some reps:

MM on Rodgers: "Whether he starts, we'll talk about that today. It's important for the quarterbacks, we repped all three of 'em this week."

Essentially, this means that Rodgers isn't going to play a full game on Sunday, but it may not take a full game for that offense to put points on the board, even against a strong Lions defense. It's likely that Matt Flynn will see a lot of action under center, and if McCarthy is serious, then Graham Harrell could get some time as the signal caller as well.

For more on the Detroit Lions, check out Pride of Detroit. For the flip-side, you can check out our Green Bay Packers blog at Acme Packing Company. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NFL hub at SBNation.com/NFL.

Week 17 NFL Lines And Odds: Lions Vs. Packers

The Detroit Lions have not won at Lambeau Field in 20 years, but with the Packers possibly resting their starters in advance of the playoffs this could be an excellent chance for Detroit to earn a win. The Lions don't have a lot to play for, having already clinched a playoff berth, but a win would guarantee the No. 5 seed and a trip to either New York or Dallas instead of New Orleans or San Francisco. SB Nation's odds partner Oddsshark has the Lions as a three-point favorite as a result:

On Dec. 15, 1991, when Detroit beat the Packers for the third straight time at Lambeau Field, they had no idea it would be a generation before it happened again.Since then, the Lions have lost 20 straight at Green Bay and only covered the spread five times.

The Lions may favor a trip to the NFC East winner, as they already have a victory over Dallas this year compared to losses against San Francisco and New Orleans.

Calvin Johnson Injury: Detroit Lions WR Misses Second Straight Practice

The Detroit Lions have an important game with the Green Bay Packers this weekend as they look to solidify their playoff seed, but the injury report hasn't exactly been nice to the team. Thursday's report listed four players as DNP, including wide receiver Calvin Johnson as he sat out for a second consecutive practice.

Johnson is dealing with an Achilles injury. Although it hasn't sounded like anything serious, the Free Press indicates his status is still up in the air heading into the weekend's game.

Johnson's availability for Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers is unknown, though he indicated Wednesday he hoped to play.

"I had some things bothering me at the end of the game there, so just trying to be as fresh as possible going into the game," Johnson said then.

Along with Johnson, Louis Delmas, Nick Fairley and Corey Williams missed Thursday's practice in full. Defensive backs Aaron Berry, Chris Houston and Amari Spievey were limited along with defensive end Willie Young. Kevin Smith and Cliff Avril were both listed on the report as well, though each went through the entire practice without a flare up.

For more on the Packers, be sure to visit Acme Packing Company. The best community on the internet as far as the Lions are concerned can be found at Pride of Detroit.

Greg Jennings, James Starks Both Out Thursday As Packers Prepare For Lions

The Green Bay Packers have already clinched homefield advantage throughout the NFL Playoffs, but the team still has one final game to play when NFC North rivals Detroit Lions head to Wisconsin for the final game of the regular season. The Lions still have seeding to play for, however, and could get some help from the Packers injury report.

The Packers have already listed top wide receiver Greg Jennings out for the weekend, but starting running back James Starks missed his second straight practice as well according to the team's injury report on Thursday. Starks will likely be able to play this weekend, but it's unlikely the Packers will allow him to do too much as they attempt to keep him healthy for the postseason.

Rookie wide receiver was the only other Packers player that was unable to practice on Thursday. Offensive linemen Brian Bulaga and Chad Clifton were listed as limited along with defensive starters Clay Matthews, Jermichael Finley, Ryan Pickett and Charles Woodson.

For more on the Packers, be sure to visit Acme Packing Company. The best community on the internet as far as the Lions are concerned can be found at Pride of Detroit.

Calvin Johnson Misses Second-Straight Practice; Nick Fairley, Corey Williams Also Absent

The Detroit Lions could be without their best player on Sunday in the final game of the regular season. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson missed practice on Thursday with an Achilles injury, and could potentially miss the game against the Green Bay Packers. Johnson said on Wednesday that he feels as good as ever at the end of a season, but with the Lions making the playoffs for the first time in a very long time, Johnson really should be as well-rested as possible heading into the playoffs.

Detroit could have something to play for though, with a No. 5 seed much more attractive than a No. 6 seed, because it would mean a matchup against the Giants or Cowboys over the 49ers or Saints, the latter two of which have already beat Detroit this season. So perhaps Johnson is more of a necessity than previously thought, but if Green Bay decides to rest some starters, then who knows?

Also of note is the fact that Nick Fairley, Corey Willians and Louis Delmas also missed practice on Thursday. Delmas is already ruled out for the Week 17 matchup against Green Bay. Willie Young and Chris Houston returned to practice, though the latter was in a very limited fashion.

Detroit Lions Injury Report, Week 17: Calvin Johnson Out On Wednesday

The Detroit Lions play the Green Bay Packers this weekend as they look to jostle themselves up the ladder as far as playoff positioning is concerned. The Packers don't have much to play for considering they clinched homefield advantage with last week's win, but a victory is no sure thing as a couple of key players showed up on Wednesday's injury report.

Calvin Johnson was one of five players that didn't practice on Wednesday as the wide receiver sat out with an Achilles injury. Johnson stretched with the team, but was held out as a precautionary measure, according to a report from Anwar Richardson. Richardson's report also touched on Chris Houston's injury as the cornerback sat out Wednesday's practice as well.

Houston wore a cast on his left arm on Wednesday. He said he injured his hand after intercepting San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers in Detroit's previous game. Houston said the injury occurred as he landed. While Houston is unsure if he will be allowed to play on Sunday, the injury is not serious in his view.

"I'm good," Houston said. "It's a little boo-boo. That's it."

Safety Louis Delmas and defensive linemen Corey Williams and Willie Young also missed Wednesday's practice in full. Cliff Avril, Aaron Berry and Nick Fairley were all limited while Kevin Smith and Amari Spievey were listed as having gone through the full practice.

Lions Vs. Packers: Detroit Wraps Up Regular Season In Green Bay

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