Green Bay, WI – DuJuan Harris rushed for a tiebreaking touchdown in the fourth quarter, and the Green Bay Packers seized sole possession of first place in the NFC North with a 27-20 victory over the Detroit Lions.
Aaron Rodgers also ran for a score in the snow while completing 14-of-24 passes for 173 yards. The Green Bay quarterback did not throw a touchdown pass at Lambeau Field for the first time since Sept. 21, 2008, snapping a streak that had reached 35 games.
Randall Cobb had 102 yards on seven receptions for the Packers (9-4), who have won 11 in a row against divisional foes and moved one game ahead of Chicago in the North standings.
"It's going to be ugly at times, but the main thing is the wins," Rodgers said.
Matthew Stafford finished with 264 passing yards and one touchdown for Detroit (4-9), but he threw one interception and had a fumble returned for a momentum- altering score.
Jason Hanson kicked a 34-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining, but the ball wound up going out of bounds on the ensuing kickoff, sealing Detroit's fifth straight loss.
The Lions haven't won a game in the state of Wisconsin since 1991, dropping 22 in a row. The epic slide includes a 1994 playoff contest.
Detroit owned the first half in time of possession, holding the ball for 22- plus minutes, and scored touchdowns on its first two drives.
The Lions churned out 80 yards on the game's opening series, with most of the damage coming on the ground. Stafford capped the 12-play trek by scoring on a 4-yard bootleg.
Green Bay looked to counter, reaching the Detroit 12 when Rodgers threw a 21- yard pass to Cobb. But two plays later, Lawrence Jackson sacked Rodgers and forced a fumble that Stephen Tulloch recovered for the Lions.
Stafford then hooked up with Kris Durham for 27 yards and Durham's great one- handed grab set up Tony Scheffler's 3-yard TD catch early in the second quarter.
After Mason Crosby's 49-yard field goal put the Packers on the board, the Lions' third drive looked as equally promising. However, on 1st-and-10 from the Green Bay 42, Stafford had the ball slip out of his hand as he brought his arm back.
Defensive end Mike Daniels fielded the ball cleanly and rumbled 43 yards to the end zone.
"That was a big play. We had all the momentum," Stafford said.
Stafford was picked off on the next drive, but the Packers were forced to punt.
Rodgers gave Green Bay a 17-14 lead by capping the opening drive of third quarter with a 27-yard touchdown run.
Detroit, though, responded quickly and tied the game on a 46-yard Hanson field goal. The Lions were helped along by an unnecessary roughness penalty after Calvin Johnson had caught a 19-yard pass to convert a 3rd-and-7 from the Detroit 30. Morgan Burnett was flagged for making contact with Johnson's head.
The Packers squandered an opportunity to reclaim the lead after pinning the Lions deep in their territory and forcing them to go three-and-out. Green Bay started from midfield and a nifty catch by Cobb near the right sideline on first down moved the ball to the Detroit 26.
However, Nick Fairley sacked Rodgers for a 7-yard loss on third down, and Crosby's 51-yard attempt sailed wide left.
Detroit couldn't capitalize on the field position as Hanson's try was short from 51 yards in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter.
Green Bay's next two drives ended in points. Harris scored on a 14-yard touchdown run and Crosby drilled a 41-yarder, giving the Packers a 10-point lead with 4:02 to play.
Game Notes
Rodgers' streak of 35 straight home games with at least one TD pass was the second-longest in NFL history, trailing only Dan Marino's 39-game run from 1983-88 ... Green Bay ran only 16 offensive plays in the first half ... Johnson caught 10 passes for 118 yards. He became the third player in league history to reach 1,500 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons, joining Marvin Harrison (Indianapolis, 2001-02) and Andre Johnson (Houston, 2008-09) ... The Packers have won nine straight NFC North games at home.
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