3 keys to the Green Bay Packers stunning upset win over the Detroit Lions
3. Better first-half offense
The offense of the Green Bay Packers has been a tough first-half watch this season. This offense has seen most of their touchdowns come in the second half, with their last meeting with Detroit following that pattern.
Green Bay trailed 27-3 at the half in Week 4, and a repeat of this halftime deficit could have proven too difficult to overcome. They made sure not to let this happen again.
The Packers came out on fire in the first half, scoring 20 points in the first quarter while adding another three via a field goal with just under six minutes left in the second quarter. Green Bay's first-half scoring explosion allowed them to flip the script on Detroit, leading 23-6 at the half.
This early lead allowed the Packers to excel in other areas, most notably the key on the previous slide, which notes the need to slow down Detroit's rushing attack. Forcing the Lions to play catch-up rather than play ahead and grind out the game resulted in Detroit's run-pass split being flipped in Green Bay's favor.
The hope for the Packers is that their first-half success on Thanksgiving can continue, as that would be a more than encouraging sign for their offensive setup moving forward and provide some much-needed stability for that side of the ball.