Lions vs. Packers: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

The Green Bay Packers looked like the class of their conference early in the 2015 season but are now reeling amid a three-game losing streak after falling to the NFC North-rival Detroit Lions, 18-16, on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Green Bay's home turf is usually where superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers is indefatigable. Despite having little to play for amid a lost year, the last-place Lions—who entered yielding an NFL-high 30.6 points per contest—hounded Rodgers and largely stymied their opponent's elite passing attack.

Sports Illustrated's Andrew Perloff did well to describe how the Packers refused to go away toward the end:    

For the second straight week, a furious Rodgers-led fourth-quarter rally fell short. Lions kicker Matt Prater missed his second extra point of the day when Detroit drove for the seemingly clinching touchdown, and Rodgers capitalized with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Justin Perillo with 32 seconds left.

The two-point conversion to tie failed when Rodgers threw incomplete to Davante Adams, yet hope was still on the horizon when Green Bay's Damarious Randall recovered an onside kick Calvin Johnson couldn't haul in:

Mason Crosby had a shot to win the game from 52 yards out but had his kick blocked as time expired. Special teams played a huge part in determining Sunday's outcome before the wild conclusion.

Rookie Lions running back Ameer Abdullah made a game-changing play to start the second half on a 104-yard kickoff return to set up a two-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to tight end Brandon Pettigrew:

Ben Volin of the Boston Globe added historical context to Abdullah's epic return:

Prater missed the subsequent extra point to give Green Bay hope. Entering Sunday's contest 40-3 in his last 43 home starts, per Sky Sports' Richard Graves, Rodgers looked far more pedestrian than the Packers faithful are accustomed to.

Rodgers marched Green Bay on an 11-play, 78-yard drive, capped by a four-yard TD strike to Richard Rodgers with less than six minutes remaining.

But Stafford had some late heroics of his own in store. He converted a key third down to Calvin Johnson to avert a three-and-out and found Golden Tate for 43 yards on a 3rd-and-3 from the Green Bay 48. Stafford sealed the deal with a four-yard scoring toss to Lance Moore.

When Prater left the door ajar with a second missed PAT, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette provided the following reaction:

On top of the easy points Prater failed to notch, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official website alluded to how Detroit frequently failed to capitalize on ideal field position and could have widened its lead in the earlier stages of this divisional clash:

One notable squandered opportunity came in the third quarter on a rare sustained Lions drive when Stafford sought Moore near the end zone but was intercepted by Packers defensive back Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

Nevertheless, Green Bay did nothing on the subsequent possession with a long field, resulting in unfamiliar territory entering the final 15 minutes of action, per ESPN's Rob Demovsky:

Prater redeemed his PAT blunders to a degree with 13:10 remaining by drilling a 51-yard field goal to stretch the Lions' lead to 12-3, requiring two scores for the Packers to mount a successful comeback.

ESPN Stats & Info revealed how rare it was for the Lions to emerge victorious from Lambeau:

The loss of Aaron Rodgers' favorite target in Jordy Nelson didn't seem to plague the Packers much to start the year but is most evident now. Nelson was an excellent red-zone target and frequent recipient of Rodgers' pinpoint back-shoulder throws, which aren't as commonplace with members of his current receiving corps.

ESPN's Bomani Jones tried to defend the lack of weaponry at Rodgers' disposal:

Dan Hanzus of NFL.com, on the other hand, was critical regarding the reputable Rodgers' apparent inability to elevate the play of those around him:

Although Rodgers did finish with 333 yards passing and two scores, he averaged only 5.5 yards per attempt and benefited from off coverage as the clock wound down.

The NFC North has suddenly turned into a compelling race thanks to the Packers' recent skid. Perhaps the most under-the-radar successful team in the NFL has been the Minnesota Vikings, who are now in sole possession of first place in the division and host the Packers in Week 11.

It may actually be contrary to the 2-7 Lions' long-term interests to win games at this juncture. They also did about all they could in the final quarter to lose, but their massive road win should help head coach Jim Caldwell's case to lead Detroit beyond this season.

A resurgent Oakland Raiders squad travels to Ford Field to take on the Lions next Sunday.

Post-Game Reaction

Caldwell praised the Lions for how they fought through adversity in a hostile environment as the heavily favored Packers seized the late momentum.

"It was tremendous because of the fact that nobody backed down. They didn't give up," said Caldwell, per MLive.com's Brendan Savage. "They focused in on what they had to do. They didn't care who they were lined up against. They didn't care what the odds were. They played and they played well."

Rodgers tried to remain upbeat afterward despite the glaring issues that plagued Green Bay en route to a tough loss in front of the home fans.

"I'm never worried about the confidence level of this football team," said Rodgers, per the team's official Twitter account. Rodgers added, "Disappointing losing at home, haven't done that in a while. We'll look at the film [and] make corrections tomorrow."

Former Packers receiver Donald Driver wasn't too pleased with Sunday's outcome:

Green Bay cornerback Casey Hayward believed all three phases were to blame for the team's recent skid, saying, "We've been getting outplayed. When you're getting outplayed in every phase then it's hard to win," per Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The Packers are hardly used to being outplayed on a regular basis, especially within the division as four-time reigning champions and at Lambeau. These trends are discouraging for a team that must put in a good week of preparation to defeat division leader Minnesota on the road in its next contest.