The Green Bay Packers are champions of the NFC North and in possession of the No. 1 seed in the NFC after beating the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Ford Field.
The Packers swept the season series with the Lions and clinched the division for the second season in a row under coach Matt LaFleur, who is now 10-1 against NFC North opponents.
With three more wins to finish the season, the Packers will end up 13-3 and clinch the top seed, securing homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Here are the rest of the takeaways from Sunday’s win at Ford Field:
1 The offense plays at elite level, again
AP Photo / Paul Sancya
The 31 points scored by the Packers Sunday ranks as only the team’s seventh-highest in a game this season, but the offense played at a high level once again. The Packers converted 8-of-11 third downs, scored touchdowns on all three red-zone trips, didn’t allow a sack, didn’t have a turnover, held the ball for over 35 minutes, and scored on 5-of- 7 possessions before the final game-clinching drive. The run game had to grind out yards and was mostly inefficient, but Aaron Rodgers was terrific again, completing nearly 80 percent of his passes while throwing multiple touchdown passes and producing a passer rating of 133.6. The game was condensed by long drives by both teams, but had the Packers gotten to 10 possessions, they likely would have scored 40 or more points on Sunday.
2 Unreliable elsewhere
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The path forward for the Packers is becoming more and more clear. This is a team with a consistently elite offense led by an MVP quarterback, but everything else about the football team is unreliable at best. The Packers defense sacked Matthew Stafford four times in the first half but mostly struggled to stop the Lions, especially in the passing game. The special teams gave up another long return, this time a 71-yard kickoff return that sparked the Lions back to life late. All the evidence of the first 14 weeks points to this one conclusion: the Packers will need their offense to carry them through the postseason. The defense can get a stop here and there, and Mason Crosby has been great, but the rest of the team is just too inconsistent. An elite offense can get this team to the Super Bowl, but the Packers will have a razor-thin margin of error on offense in January.
3 Elite situationally
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The Packers offense is elite in many ways, but the quality of the group is most easily viewed situationally. After converting 8-of-11 third downs and scoring touchdowns on all three red-zone trips, the Packers now rank second in the NFL in third-down percentage (49.7) and first in red zone touchdown percentage (77.1). All great offenses must extend drives and turn scoring opportunities into touchdowns. Consider this: Aaron Rodgers has more touchdown passes (39) than JK Scott has punts (38) in 2020, and Mason Crosby has only attempted 15 field goals.
4 Peaking MVS
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur congratulates wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling after his touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, in Detroit. (AP Photo / Leon Halip)
The rollercoaster that is Marquez Valdes-Scantling is peaking again. He caught six passes for 85 yards and a score. The six catches were his most since Week 3 of 2019, all six created first downs or a touchdown, and he caught every one of his targets for the first time all season. He also drew a holding penalty that extended the Packers’ first drive of the second half. His touchdown catch was an especially impressive play, considering the timing, understanding, body control and difficulty of the catch on the back-shoulder throw. It’s a play he’s struggled with throughout his career. He caught it with his hands in heavy traffic. Also, credit MVS for his unrelenting effort as a blocker. Every week, he gives it his all for his teammates. His production as a receiver is up and down, but his effort is not.
5 Big Bob, the clincher
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Tight end Robert Tonyan caught his ninth touchdown pass of the season, continuing his work as the reincarnation of Julius Thomas in 2013. The two look nearly identical. Like Thomas, Tonyan is an athletic tight end who is schemed open all the time in a great offense and producing elite touchdown numbers with a quarterback having an all-time great season. While Davante Adams has a touchdown catch in eight straight games, Tonyan has one in four straight. Also, he clinched the game with a late first-down catch for the third consecutive game. Efficient and clutch are very good things for a tight end.
6 Scripted plays for Tavon
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Tavon Austin (16) in action against the Detroit Lions during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, in Detroit. (AP Photo / Rick Osentoski)
Tavon Austin took over as the primary punt returner and had no issues fielding three punts. The Packers also got him involved early during the scripted part of the gameplan. He caught two passes for eight yards, both on relatively simple swing passes to the flat. One gained a first down. The production wasn’t much, but it still looks like Austin has plenty of juice left. It’ll be interesting to see how Matt LaFleur works him into what the Packers are already doing on offense. His role as the gadget player could grow over the final month.
7 Big time boot
AP Photo / Paul Sancya
Following the win, coach Matt LaFleur said he waived off the punting team after asking kicker Mason Crosby if he could hit the late field goal from 57 yards out. Crosby was confident he could, so LaFleur trusted him. And then the veteran kicker made good on the decision, nailing the kick to extend the Packers’ lead to 10. It was a gutsy call, given the game situation, and an even bigger kick. A miss there and the Lions suddenly have a chance to score a touchdown and tie the game with great field position. The celebration from Crosby with his teammates was a special moment, especially given the setting. He had a nightmare afternoon at Ford Field two years ago but has been nearly perfect since.
8 Pile of penalties
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The Packers committed a season-high 12 penalties. In fact, Sunday marked the first time the Packers have been in double-digits all season. The defense was responsible for eight of the 12, including five on a single Lions touchdown drive in the second half. Of the 12 penalties, five gave the Lions first downs, including four holding penalties. Maybe it should be noted that the same officiating crew – headed by Alex Kemp – handled both of the Packers’ highest penalty games this season (Sunday, 12; and Week 8 vs. Vikings, nine). Overall, this does not appear to be a worrisome problem. The Packers have committed six or fewer penalties in nine of 13 games this season.
9 Special teams lapse again
While strong for the first 57 minutes of the game, the Packers special teams produced another mistake late, giving up a 71-yard kickoff return to Jamal Agnew after Mason Crosby’s long field goal gave the Packers a 10-point lead. The Lions turned the great field position into a quick field goal, and then they nearly recovered the ensuing onside kick. The identity of this group is established. Opponents will know big plays are possible because the Packers are now prone to making big mistakes. The Packers better hope a playoff game isn’t decided or turned by a special teams mistake.
10 Huge shift in playoff positioning
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The Packers are now the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and Matt LaFleur’s team will have multiple pathways to clinch the top spot in the conference over the final three games. This is a huge development for a team that hasn’t been the No. 1 seed since 2011. Every chance he gets, Aaron Rodgers talks about playing his four NFC title games away from Green Bay. He desperately wants one at Lambeau Field, and this season now provides the perfect opportunity. With three games to go, the Packers are in the driver’s seat to be the only team in the conference with a first-round bye and homefield advantage. Sunday’s results – a Packers win and a Saints loss – provided the swing. It could end up being a very big day for the Packers’ Super Bowl aspirations.
11 When the game turned
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers scrambles for a 6-yard touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, in Detroit. (AP Photo / Paul Sancya)
This game was tied at 14 at halftime after the Lions scored a touchdown late in the second quarter. Everything swung the Packers’ way in the third quarter. The offense sandwiched a three-and-out from the defense with two long scoring drives, turning a 14-14 game into a 28-14 Packers lead in the fourth quarter. On the first three possessions of the second half, the Packers gained 154 yards and scored 14 points on 26 plays while the Lions ran just three plays and gained four yards. Darrell Bevell’s team hung tough, but the Packers took full command of this game coming out of the break, like most great teams tend to do.