Seventeen. That's the number of players listed on the Green Bay Packers' injury report in Week 12 against the Detroit Lions.
On offense, star running back Aaron Jones and standout rookies Luke Musgrave and Dontayvion Wicks were unavailable. It would be easier to list the defensive players who were available. Almost the entire starting secondary missed the game.
But you wouldn't have guessed it. The Packers walked into Ford Field and dominated the 8-2 Lions from the first play, a 53-yard strike from Jordan Love to Christian Watson. It set the tone for what was to come.
What a win for this young team. Let's break it down. Who were the winners and losers on Thanksgiving?
Packers biggest winners and losers in Week 12 victory
Winner: Jordan Love
Ominous. That's the best word to describe how the rest of the NFC North should feel watching Jordan Love. They've seen this movie play out before. They watched Aaron Rodgers sit behind a Hall-of-Famer for three years, face ups and downs early, then announce his arrival as the Packers' next star QB.
OK, let's calm down a moment. Love isn't there yet. He still has a lot to prove. But he was flawless against the Lions. As in, franchise-quarterback kind of flawless. The type of dominant performance Rodgers used to hand out to the Lions on a regular basis.
Love was phenomenal. Even without Aaron Jones, Luke Musgrave, and Dontayvion Wicks, he torched the Lions' secondary, completing 22 of his 32 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns.
This was easily Love's best performance, and one that should excite Packers fans.
Winner: Rashan Gary
Wow. What a performance. It's hard not to love Rashan Gary. He gives everything on the field and truly cares about it. A year after tearing his ACL at the same stadium, Gary returned with arguably the best performance of his career, and it meant so much to him.
The Lions had no answer. Gary made three sacks, forced a fumble that resulted in a defensive touchdown, and came up with a huge stop on fourth down. It felt like any time Jared Goff dropped back to pass, Gary met him in the backfield.
It was an unforgettable performance by Gary, and it's even more special that he did it in front of a national audience.
Winner: Jonathan Owens
Huge credit to Jonathan Owens. He had received plenty of criticism for his up-and-down performances entering the game, but he stepped up in a big way against the Lions. Owens made a heads-up play after Gary forced a fumble.
Most Lions players thought Goff had thrown an incompletion and that the play was over. Owens showed good awareness, picking up the ball and returning it for a touchdown. It was indeed a fumble and live ball, and Owens' touchdown stood.
Owens made plays all over the field, finishing with a game-high 12 tackles and one tackle for loss. An impressive performance.
Winner: Christian Watson
Christian Watson was having a quiet second season until this game. With Dontayvion Wicks out due to injury, the Packers needed Watson to make an impact. And he sure did.
Watson made an incredible 53-yard reception on the first play of the game. He went up and won the ball. Only Jayden Reed had more targets than Watson's seven, and he hauled in five for a team-high 94 yards and a touchdown. His TD catch may have been even more impressive than the 53-yarder. He was at full stretch but made it look easy.
This was exactly the type of game Watson needed, and it will help his confidence tremendously.
Winner: Kenny Clark
Another week, another dominant Kenny Clark performance. Last week, Clark made eight QB pressures against the Los Angeles Chargers, per PFF. And he was causing all sorts of problems for the Lions on Thursday.
Clark made two tackles and two QB hits in the game, but his impact was felt throughout. On one play, he drove a guard right into Goff, forcing an incompletion.
The combination of Clark and Gary was too much for even the Lions' excellent offensive line to handle. Clark put in yet another dominant performance.
Winner: Malik Heath
Undrafted rookie Malik Heath was one of the Packers' standout performers throughout the summer, earning his spot on the 53-man roster. With Dontayvion Wicks out, Green Bay needed Heath to contribute. And he did, catching all four targets for 46 yards.
Heath finished second for the Packers in receiving and made some tough catches. The rookie also made plays as a run blocker. He only caught his first NFL pass last week but looked like a veteran for Green Bay in this game. Heath has earned more opportunities moving forward. It was an impressive performance.
Winner: Offensive line
What a turnaround for the offensive line from the previous game against the Lions. Detroit's defensive front dominated in Week 4, but it was the complete opposite in this game.
It wasn't perfect. Jordan Love avoided a couple of sacks on his own, but overall, Matt LaFleur will be delighted with the play of the offensive line. Detroit didn't make a single sack. They had four QB hits to show for their efforts but a big zero in the sack column.
With time to throw, Love took apart the Lions' secondary, making big play after big play. Star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson had two tackles and one QB hit. That's it.
Winner: Special teams
Yes, you read that right. The Packers' special teams contributed to a win. Punter Daniel Whelan had a fantastic game, ensuring Green Bay continued to win the field-position battle. He often kicked around midfield, but his placement was perfect. All four of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard line.
One required an outstanding effort from Robert Rochell and Zayne Anderson, who teamed up to save a touchback and down the ball at Detroit's two-yard line.
The Packers weren't fooled by a Lions fake punt, shutting it down to win possession at the Lions' 23-yard line. They also made easy work of the onside kick recovery late in the game.
Loser: Anders Carlson
However, it wasn't a completely perfect day for the special teams. Rookie kicker Anders Carlson missed a kick for the fourth straight game. One of his two misses came on a 63-yard field goal attempt, so there's not a lot of blame to put on Carlson there. That's a tough spot to be put in.
But Carlson also missed an extra-point attempt after Jonathan Owens' fumble-recovery touchdown. He did make a 43-yard field goal and converted his other two extra-point tries.
Missed kicks are happening too often. It puts the Packers in a difficult position. They will want to give Carlson time to put it right, but he needs to regain the consistency he had earlier in the season.