Written by Dave Birkett at Detroit Free Press.com
Now this is what an offense with the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL is supposed to look like.
One that moves the ball at will. One that dominates time of possession. And most importantly, one that puts barrels of points on the scoreboard.
Matthew Stafford threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns and Golden Tate and Marvin Jones each topped 100 yards receiving as the Lions dominated the Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, 30-17.
The Lions, who did not punt in a game for the first time since 1971, snapped a three-game losing streak with the victory and evened their record at 4-4 at the midpoint of the season.
“We went into this game thinking that this needed to be a statement game,” Tate said. “We needed to click collectively and I think that’s what we did for the most part. It felt good to just have things rolling, especially on the road in a very tough environment.”
Tate caught seven passes for a game-high 113 yards and Jones added seven catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns as the Lions came away with points on six of their eight offensive possessions.
After struggling to sustain drives early in the season and failing to score a touchdown despite five trips to the red zone in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, the Lions were methodically unstoppable Monday.
They held the ball for nearly 14 more minutes than the Packers, and five of their scoring drives covered nine or more plays.
“I think we executed well tonight,” Stafford said. “We weren’t perfect, left some points out there, turned it over. But our guys showed up and played really well. The offensive line did a great job blocking. Our guys on the outside were winning and making plays.”
Stafford opened the scoring with the 200th touchdown pass of his career, a 25-yard strike to Jones, and the Lions held the Packers (4-4) to just three points through the first three quarters
Brett Hundley, who made his second career start in place of Rodgers, the two-time MVP who’s likely done for the season with a broken collarbone, finished 26 of 38 passing for 245 yards for the Packers, but most of his damage came on what Lions safety Glover Quin called “a couple cheap drives” late.
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