Final

Packers 7

(1-2, 0-2 away)

Lions 19

(2-1, 2-0 home)

Coverage: Fox

1:00 PM ET, September 21, 2014

Ford Field, Detroit, MI 

1 2 3 4 T
GB 7 0 0 07
DET 7 5 0 719

Top Performers

Passing: M. Stafford (DET) - 246 YDS, 2 INT

Rushing: R. Bush (DET) - 12 CAR, 61 YDS, 1 TD

Receiving: C. Johnson (DET) - 6 REC, 82 YDS

Packers-Lions Preview

STATS LLC

While Calvin Johnson has long since established himself as one of the NFL's elite receivers, Jordy Nelson could be next to join the list.

Looking to build on last week's win, Nelson and the Green Bay Packers try to continue their recent success against the Detroit Lions as these NFC North rivals meet Sunday at Ford Field.

After a one-sided 36-16 loss at Seattle in their opener, the Packers (1-1) stormed back to beat the New York Jets 31-24 last Sunday.

"It's a game of adversity. It's a game of momentum swings. It's a game of big plays," said coach Mike McCarthy, whose team trailed 21-3 in the second quarter. "We were in a spot, but our players stayed the course."

Aaron Rodgers completed 25 of 42 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns, finding Nelson nine times for a career-high 209 yards. The star-studded duo hooked up for an 80-yard score with 2:08 left in the third quarter to put Green Bay up for good.

"Well, pretty impressive. Take it for granted sometimes. He's not a big `me' guy ... so he kind of gets overlooked sometimes," Rodgers said of Nelson. "We know the kind of player he is."

Nelson's 209 receiving yards were the most by a Packer since Don Beebe's 220 in 1996. His previous career high was 162 against the Lions in a 45-41 win Jan.1, 2012.

While Johnson has racked up a league-leading 1,739 receiving yards since the start of last year, Nelson ranks fourth with 1,606.

"Jordy, you always see him making some big plays. He is definitely their big-play guy," Johnson told the Packers' official website. "He's a guy we've got to be able to contain come Sunday; you know, not let him get the ball and run with it and find seams to make bigger plays after he catches it."

The Packers have taken 23 of 27 from the Lions despite losing 40-10 on November 28 with Rodgers on the sideline. Johnson had six catches for 101 yards and a touchdown that day, giving him 12 scores in 12 games against Green Bay. He's hauled in 32 catches for 606 yards during a four-game stretch in the series.

"It's a big game. It's a divisional game," Johnson said of Sunday's showdown. "It's a home game for us, so we definitely want to take care of our home field. At the same time, we want to take care of our divisional games whenever they come."

The Lions (1-1) opened with a 35-14 win over the New York Giants before falling 24-7 at Carolina last Sunday. Rookie kicker Nate Freese missed two field-goal attempts and Matthew Stafford was 27 of 48 for 291 yards with a touchdown and an interception -- one of three Lions turnovers.

"What you have to make certain of is that everybody needs to understand that this only counts as one game. This team is not 0-12, or anything of that nature, so there's some balance to it," first-year coach Jim Caldwell said.

"Just like last week there weren't a bunch of guys hollering about the win, they were level-headed and I believe they will handle the loss the exact same way. We will be level-headed, get our corrections made, focus on our next opponent and move forward."

Only three teams have been less efficient running the ball than the Lions, who are averaging 3.0 yards per carry. They may be able to break out against a Packers defense giving up an average of 176.5 rushing yards to rank 31st in the league.

Green Bay's defense showed some improvement last weekend, though, allowing just three points and 100 yards after halftime. A.J. Hawk had 10 tackles and cornerback Tramon Williams picked off his first pass of the year.

"I think there were some very positive things from this game we can take and build on," defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. "Obviously, our goal is to be able to start the way we finished the game. To be able to get to where we want to go, we have to be able to play a whole game like that. That will be the challenge."

The Packers will try to contain Stafford, who's thrown for 637 yards and three touchdowns. He has compiled a 1-6 record against Green Bay while throwing 13 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Rodgers has posted a 111.0 passer rating against the Lions, going 9-1 with 19 TDs and five picks. His only loss came 7-3 at Detroit in December 2010 after leaving in the second quarter with a concussion.

Passing Leaders

Green BayCMP%YDSTDINT
J. Love63.02618196
DetroitCMP%YDSTDINT
J. Goff67.82134152
J. Fox100.01100

Rushing Leaders

Green BayCARYDSAVGTD
K. Johnson421724.11
M. Lloyd571492.62
DetroitCARYDSAVGTD
J. Gibbs1778474.89
S. Vaki301354.50

Receiving Leaders

Green BayRECYDSAVGTD
C. Watson4987917.97
M. Golden5378314.85
DetroitRECYDSAVGTD
A. St. Brown6165710.85
J. Williams2846816.75

Team Averages & NFL Ranks

TEAM OFFENSETEAMPER GAME AVERAGE
Total YardsGB
 
 386
DET
 
 341
Yards PassingGB
 
 266
DET
 
 252
Yards RushingGB
 
 120
DET
 
 89
TEAM DEFENSETEAMPER GAME AVERAGE
Yards AllowedGB
 
 346
DET
 
 301
Pass Yds AllowedGB
 
 226
DET
 
 232
Rush Yds AllowedGB
 
 120
DET
 
 69

Head to Head Matchups (Since 2001)

Green Bay leads 23-5
Nov 28, 2013GB 10, @DET 40
Oct 6, 2013GB 22, DET 9
Dec 9, 2012GB 27, DET 20
Nov 18, 2012GB 24, @DET 20
Jan 1, 2012GB 45, DET 41
Nov 24, 2011GB 27, @DET 15
Dec 12, 2010GB 3, @DET 7
Oct 3, 2010GB 28, DET 26
Nov 26, 2009GB 34, @DET 12
Oct 18, 2009GB 26, DET 0
Dec 28, 2008GB 31, DET 21
Sep 14, 2008GB 48, @DET 25
Dec 30, 2007GB 34, DET 13
Nov 22, 2007GB 37, @DET 26
Dec 17, 2006GB 17, DET 9
Sep 24, 2006GB 31, @DET 24
Dec 11, 2005GB 16, DET 13
Sep 11, 2005GB 3, @DET 17
Dec 12, 2004GB 16, DET 13
Oct 17, 2004GB 38, @DET 10
Nov 27, 2003GB 14, @DET 22
Sep 14, 2003GB 31, DET 6
Nov 10, 2002GB 40, DET 14
Sep 22, 2002GB 37, @DET 31
Nov 22, 2001GB 29, @DET 27
Sep 9, 2001GB 28, DET 6