DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions had this thing won, had a sweep of the Green Bay Packers in hand. Then they gave Aaron Rodgers one more shot, one more chance. And he essentially ended their season.
A face-mask penalty on Devin Taylor gave Rodgers one final play after time expired, and he heaved a throw some 61 yards into a mass of players in the end zone. Richard Rodgers leaped high in front of all the Lions players and came down with the ball, giving Green Bay a 27-23 win over Detroit -- a stunning and crushing ending for the Lions.
The catch extinguished the Lions' three-game winning streak as well as any of their playoff hopes. So, too, it kept them from sweeping the Packers for the first time since 1991.
It was, frankly, a crushing way for the Lions to lose -- on a penalty giving Green Bay one more play, especially when all the Lions had to do was surround Rodgers and knock him down instead of grabbing the face mask.
It was a play more emblematic of the first half of the Lions' season than what they had done over the past three weeks. But the mistake showed how a play like that can destroy momentum -- and any hope for a season.
What it means: The three-game win streak is over, as is any infinitesimal hope Detroit had of making the playoffs. The Lions, no matter what they do now, would need an insane amount of help to even be in the conversation for a playoff berth. They have to win out to reach .500.
What were they thinking? Taylor’s mistake was highlighted above, so we’ll stick with the Lions' special-teams personnel being a mess. About once a game the team has issues having 11 men on the field for a special-teams play, and it cost them a timeout in the fourth quarter. The Lions had to waste a timeout as they shuffled blockers on Matt Prater’s 42-yard field goal. This has been an issue in three of the past four games.
One reason to get excited: None. That’s about as crushing a way as possible for a team to lose a game.
One reason to panic: The right tackle situation could be a big problem the last month of the season if Michael Ola is out for a bit. Neither LaAdrian Waddle nor Cornelius Lucas have been strong options, and the Lions next face St. Louis, which has a deep, effective defensive line. Waddle had holding and false start penalties after coming in for Ola.
Fantasy watch: Matthew Stafford threw multiple touchdown passes for the third time in four games. Also, Ameer Abdullah continues to establish himself as the Lions’ primary rusher; he had 13 carries, more than the rest of the Detroit backs combined until the Lions went into run-clock mode. As you head into the fantasy playoffs, consider Abdullah the Lions’ best rushing option.
Ouch: The Lions had a lot of injuries that ended up not as serious as initially thought. Linebacker Josh Bynes and cornerbacks Quandre Diggs and Don Carey all missed a few plays. The injury to Ola appeared a bit more serious, however.
Game ball: It wasn’t always pretty Thursday night, but Stafford did what he needed to. He threw two first-quarter touchdown passes and then made a crucial pass to TJ Jones late in the fourth quarter to get the Lions a first down they desperately needed, although in the end it didn’t matter. Stafford has been a consistent quarterback the past month and a big reason for Detroit’s turnaround. He finished 23-of-35 for 220 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions.
Darius Slay dominates again: The cornerback shut out James Jones the last time the Lions played Green Bay, and he again took away one of Aaron Rodgers’ top targets. Jones had just one catch in the game.