Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers: Green Bay Grades, Notes and Quotes

In one of the biggest upsets of the season, the Green Bay Packers lost their third straight game after starting 6-0 when the Detroit Lions handed down an 18-16 defeat Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field. 

Not only does the loss push Green Bay (6-3) back into second place of the NFC North, but it also broke a couple streaks for the home team.

Detroit (2-7) came into this contest having lost their previous 24 games in the state of Wisconsin against the Packers—a stretch that dated back to 1991. In addition, the Packers had won 12 straight games at Lambeau before their Week 10 defeat. 

Sunday's game was an ugly one all around for both teams—especially at the end of the game.

In the final two minutes alone, Detroit missed an extra point and failed to recover on an onside kick, while Green Bay nearly fumbled away their chance to tie it when they failed on a two-point conversion and missed a potentially game-winning field goal in the waning seconds to secure the loss. 

The Packers scored just three points in the first three quarters and stormed back to make it close in the final frame. For how poorly the team played for the majority of the game, the Lions weren't much better as it was a 3-3 game at halftime.

Let's get into the position grades for Green Bay and go over some notes and quotes from its Week 10 loss to Detroit.

Position Grades for Packers

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

Player	Grade
Quarterback	B+
Running Back	D
Wide Receiver	C+
Tight End	A
Offensive Line	C
Defensive Line	B+
Linebacker	C+
Defensive Back	B-
Special Teams	D
Coaching	C

Quarterback

Aaron Rodgers led the offense down the field on a methodical field-goal-scoring drive on the Packers' first possession of the game. After that, though, Rodgers kept quiet as he failed to put any more quality drives together until the fourth quarter. At least the numbers tell a good story—Rodgers finished with 333 yards and two touchdowns on 35-for-61 passing.

Running Back

The spotlight was on James Starks this week after being named the starter ahead of Sunday's game. With Eddie Lacy sidelined with a groin injury, the 29-year-old figured to see a lot of touches against a porous Detroit run defense. Yet, Starks managed just 42 yards on 15 carries and caught six passes out of the backfield. 

Wide Receiver

Outside of Davante Adams, the receivers weren't much help to Rodgers in the passing game. Whether it was dropped passes or failure to get open, this unit continues to struggle week-in and week-out as Jordy Nelson's absence becomes more and more magnified. Adams, though, caught 10 passes on 21 targets for 79 yards as he proves again to be a viable option in the passing game. 

Tight End

Richard Rodgers and Justin Perillo combined to become major assets to Aaron Rodgers in the passing attack Sunday. Each caught five passes and a touchdown—proving to be worthwhile targets in the red zone. 

Offensive Line

It seems to be the same problems with the offensive line every week. The unit has had trouble with opposing pass rushes all year and Sunday was no different. The Lions constantly pressured Rodgers in the pocket and forced the Green Bay quarterback to make plays on the run. Ultimately, the O-line allowed two sacks in the contest and provided minimal push in the running game as the Packers totaled less than 50 rushing yards. 

Defensive Line

Although Detroit's running backs are nothing to write home about, the Packers' defensive linemen did their job up front and shut down the Lions' three-headed attack of Joique Bell, Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick. The trio finished with just 33 rushing yards on 20 carries at an average of 1.65 yards per rush.

Linebacker

For some reason, the Packers failed to get much pressure on Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford. Whether that's due to a lack of execution from the linebacking personnel or defensive coordinator Dom Capers not calling enough blitzes, it's an aspect of the defense that needs to be present to pull out close wins. The Green Bay defense—led by the pass-rushing outside linebackers—failed to record a sack yet again.

Defensive Back

Green Bay's secondary did its job, for the most part, against Calvin Johnson. The Detroit receiver caught six passes for 81 yards but was held out of the end zone. With rookie cornerback Damarious Randall mostly on Johnson, the Packers did well to keep Johnson from taking over the game as he's wont to do. Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix also made a nice effort to pick off Stafford. However, the unit did allow Lance Moore to score late in the game to stretch the Lions' lead in the fourth quarter.

Special Teams

Although Tim Masthay was called on to punt early and often, he did his job. His nine punts averaged 37 yards, including three boots inside the 20-yard line. The unit takes a big knock with Mason Crosby's missed field goal at the end of regulation. Whether it was blocked or shanked, if Crosby makes the 52-yarder he's a hero for the Packers. Instead, he's the goat.

Coaching

The Packers were out-coached and outsmarted by the Lions throughout Sunday's game. Outside of a score on the game's first drive, the offense started slow for the third straight game and couldn't find a rhythm until the fourth quarter. At least the defense showed some improvement after getting torched by opposing teams in recent games—albeit against a poor Detroit offense.

Crosby Misses Last-Second FG

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Despite how bad the Packers were for much of Sunday's loss, they still had a chance to steal a win at home with a last-second field goal.

Veteran kicker Mason Crosby lined up 52 yards out with five seconds remaining and his team down two points to the division-rival Lions. If you missed Crosby's attempt, go watch it now. 

At first, it seems as if the try is partially blocked by a Detroit defender or two. Yet replays showed, and Crosby admitted later, per Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press Gazette, that the kick was simply poorly hit from the start. 

The Cauldron provided a good look at the shank, via Twitter:

"

Mason Crosby's kick was not blocked, he just knuckleballed it pic.twitter.com/a0gXAcLxOR

— The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) November 15, 2015"

The missed field goal is just the second this season for Crosby, who started out his 2015 campaign going 11 of 12 before Sunday's game. He's also drained all 23 of his 33-yard extra point tries so far this year. 

Furthermore, a 52-yarder is well within Crosby's range—he had been successful from both 54 and 56 yards earlier this season. Over his nine-year career, Crosby had made 25 field goals of 50-plus yards in 49 attempts. 

No matter the favorable statistics, Crosby missed his chance to be the hero Sunday and the Packers have lost three in a row.

Crosby and Masthay on Missed FG

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

Considering how consistent Mason Crosby has been in his nine years with Green Bay, a missed field goal Sunday to win the Packers a game is uncharacteristic—to say the least. 

Crosby's missed 52-yarder as time expired—in the friendly confines of Lambeau Field, no less—demanded some answers after Detroit came away with the 18-16 victory.

Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette provides some insight from Crosby after the game.

"

#Packers K Mason Crosby said his plant foot slipped, and he hit ball too high. "We’ve got to win that game. I hate it. It kills me inside."

— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) November 15, 2015"

"I flat missed it," Crosby said of his shank, via Mike Spofford of Packers.com. "I think I caught a little turf behind the ball. Disappointed. We had a chance to win there."

Crosby then went into a little more detail with a theory on why he missed the game-winner, per Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 

"

If there was one potential area that might have tripped up Crosby, it may have been the turf. Punter Tim Masthay said the area in between the hash marks on the south end of the field was "chewed up pretty good."

He hit high on the ball, meaning his plant might have slid in to the kick a little bit.

“The field on that south end was starting to get chewed up a bit, but we’ll look at it, obviously—how the ball came off,” said Crosby. “My plant must not have been in the right spot. … 

“That side, you’ve got to stick a good plant. It’s a little softer on the south end, here. I felt confident with it, went about my business. … So I’ve got to learn from it and move on—but obviously I’m going to be disappointed about this one.

"

"I know the footing wasn’t great in between the hashes," Green Bay punter and holder Tim Masthay said, via Spofford. "Did that play a role? I don’t know."

This slowed-down gif of the kick shows Masthay's hand possibly grazing the ball after it comes off Crosby's foot. 

"

As editor @AndyGlockner noted - Crosby's kick actually seems to hit holder Tim Masthay's off hand pic.twitter.com/ay8dYLY50l

— The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) November 15, 2015"

"I mean, you saw a number of miskicks and punts that were awry," Masthay said, via Nickel. "He’ll be fine. Mason is one of the most exemplary Packers I’ve ever seen in my six years. Solid performer, stays composed, great in the locker room. I’ve got not a shred of worry about him. He’ll be fine."

Rodgers Leads Another 4th-Quarter Comeback

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Three quarters of poor offensive play forced Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense to rally back against Carolina a week ago only to come up short in the end. This time around, a similar situation versus Detroit with a fourth-quarter comeback to go along yielded the same result. 

The Green Bay offense managed just three points heading into the final quarter Sunday as they failed to find their rhythm yet again. In fact, after the Packers' field goal on the first drive of the game, the offense managed just six first downs in eight drives before the fourth quarter began—and five of those eight drives resulted in three-and-outs. 

Still, Rodgers never gave up as he looked up at a 12-3 deficit with 10 minutes remaining. On Green Bay's second possession of the fourth quarter, Rodgers led a fast-paced, touchdown-scoring drive in which he completed seven of 10 passes including an athletic 20-yard strike to Randall Cobb on third-and-12.

Then—on Green Bay's next possession with 1:57 left on the clock and down eight—Rodgers led another quick scoring drive that featured five precise completions and ended with a Justin Perillo touchdown.

Unfortunately, Rodgers and Co. followed in their footsteps from a week ago. The Packers failed to convert a two-point conversion that would've tied the game and given the offense a chance in overtime with momentum on their side.

Yet, Rodgers didn't give up then, either. After Green Bay recovered an onside kick with 31 seconds to go in regulation, it needed about 15 yards to give Mason Crosby an opportunity to hit a game-winning field goal from 50-plus. 

On cue, the Packers' signal-caller completed two passes to Davante Adams—including a clutch 12-yard conversion on third-and-10—and set his team up for a win.

Well, we all know what happened after that.

Rodgers on Packers' Play-Calling

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Despite a 333-yard, two-touchdown day, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense around him struggled to get going early en route to a loss.

The Packers' 18-16 loss to Detroit looks worse when you consider the offense managed to score just three points before the fourth quarter. 

Now, with the team reeling on a three-game losing streak, the question remains: What is wrong with the Packers offense?

Earlier this week, Mike McCarthy made a change in his coaching setup when he moved quarterbacks/receivers coach Alex Van Pelt back down to the sideline from the press box—Van Pelt operated on the sideline in previous seasons but has worked from upstairs during games with Tom Clements now in charge of the offensive play-calling. 

So could it be the play-calling issues that are hindering Rodgers and Co.?

After Sunday's loss to Detroit, Rodgers was asked about the situation and if he's comfortable with it.

"I am, yeah, I think it’s been really good," Rodgers said, via ESPN.com's Jason Wilde. "I think it’s been a good flow during the week. We’ve had good preparation, Tom’s in every meeting and there’s not a time where I say something about something I like or dislike in the plan that he’s not within earshot to hear that."

Yet, as Wilde points out, the Packers' offense is notably different from the one fans are used to.

"

There’s no denying that there’s something amiss with the Packers offense, and it goes beyond the absence of Pro Bowl wide receiver Jordy Nelson, who was lost to a knee injury in preseason. Green Bay, which led the league in scoring last season (486 points, or 30.4 per game) as Rodgers won his second NFL MVP award, have scored 219 points in nine games (24.3 per game), including just 55 points in the last three games (18.3 per game).

"

Rodgers also addressed the current state of the offense and what it might look like going forward.

Per Wilde, Rodgers said:

"

I think it’s just about getting your best guys on the field and trying to find a way to get them the ball.

Jared [Abbrederis] has earned some opportunities, he’s done a nice job for us, and Justin [Perillo] did a nice job for us as well, made some plays. It’s just about getting those guys in good positions and trying to be effective.

Teams are going to continue to load the box up and dare us to throw the ball with some one-high [safety], press [coverage]. We’ve got to convert.

"

Rookie Randall Comes Up Big Again

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

It seems Damarious Randall has a knack for making the big play—whether it's on defense or special teams. On Sunday, it was the latter where Randall's impact was needed badly.

The Packers needed to recover an onside kick to stay alive against the Lions in the fourth quarter, down two with 32 seconds remaining. These attempts are usually a prayer and a hope, but Randall had one thing in mind: get the ball by whatever means.

Mason Crosby bounced it high off the ground to give his teammates a chance to get under it and cause enough chaos where anything is possible. As Calvin Johnson jumped to catch the ball in mid-air, a slight shove from Randall forced a bobble from Detroit's sure-handed receiver. 

Randall scooped it up and instantly gave the Packers hope with the recovery at about midfield.

The 23-year-old rookie has now made impact plays in four consecutive games as he's started to earn more playing time at the starting cornerback position in Green Bay's secondary. 

Although his onside kick recovery yielded zero points, Randall can add the play to his now-impressive arsenal: he sealed an Oct. 18 win over the Chargers with a last-second pass breakup and intercepted both Peyton Manning and Cam Newton in the previous two weeks.

It's clear Randall is a defensive star in the making and has rightfully earned the league's respect as one of the best rookies.