7 Winners from Lions' Statement Win Over Packers

Evaluating top performers from Detroit's win over Green Bay.

The Detroit Lions made a grandiose statement in the first half Thursday night. 

Through two quarters, the Lions dominated the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, in the purest sense. On both sides of the ball, the Lions held serve, and rolled to a 27-3 lead at the break. 

Though the Packers made a late rally to tighten the score, the Lions ultimately held control in the second half, and soared to a 34-20 win to grab the pole position in the NFC North, four weeks into the season. 

Here are seven winners from the Lions' win Thursday night. 

RB David Montgomery

Returning after missing last week with a thigh bruise, Montgomery was a force. The veteran running back anchored a physical running attack, and finished with 121 yards and three touchdowns. 

While much of the attention in Detroit's backfield has been placed on the potential of dynamic rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, Montgomery has given the Lions a bell-cow back capable of pacing the offense. 

He started slow, but got into a groove as the game wore on. Ultimately, his efforts were more than enough to ignite Detroit's offense and keep Green Bay at bay when the game grew closer in the second half. 

WR Josh Reynolds

Reynolds continues to be a pleasant surprise. Concerns were aplenty about Detroit's wide receiver depth after Jameson Williams was suspended, but Reynolds has answered the bell. 

Amidst his three-catch, 69-yard performance, he made two outstanding grabs. Among them was a one-handed snag late in the first quarter and later added a diving catch over the middle of the field. 

😮 @J_Rey_11#DETvsGB | 📺 @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/T43wWCIxJu

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 29, 2023

Through four games, Reynolds has now totaled 12 catches for 215 yards and two scores. He's developed into a very reliable secondary option behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, who scored the game's first touchdown. 

EDGE Aidan Hutchinson

Hutchinson continued his dominant start to the season. After entering the game tied for the league lead in pressures, he added 1.5 sacks to his total. 

The Michigan product got home on the first possession of the game, and later assisted on another takedown. He paired up with Charles Harris for a sack on the final play of the first half.

He anchored a Detroit pass rush that finished with five sacks and had Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love under constant duress.

He narrowly missed another sack that would've resulted in a safety, but Love was able to get a pass away left-handed as he was falling in the end zone. In total, Hutchinson recorded a career-high eight pressures. 

DT Alim McNeill

McNeill had one of the best games of his career last week against Atlanta and rode that momentum into another strong showing against the Packers. 

He had a stretch in the second quarter in which he blew up the backfield on back-to-back plays. First, he teamed up with Derrick Barnes to tackle A.J. Dillon for a two-yard loss. Then he recorded a sack of Love. 

The changes McNeill made in the offseason to his conditioning has made a clear difference, as he has notched an increased rep count and appears to be a more consistent force on the field early in the season. 

S Brian Branch

The rookie was once again all over the field Thursday night. Branch led the team in tackles with seven and broke up a pass. 

Perhaps his impact hasn't been felt more than when he left the field with an ankle injury and Will Harris promptly gave up a long completion. Branch re-entered after that. 

Ultimately, the rookie would leave the field appearing injured once again. Reports state that X-rays were negative and there is optimism about his status moving forward. 

DT Isaiah Buggs

The beginning of the season was a whirlwind for Buggs, as he was a healthy scratch for the first two games. Rather than give up, though, he continued to grind and wound up cracking the rotation of linemen. 

In his second game active, he recorded his first sack of the season. He received plenty of snaps, a sign that he has worked his way back into the good graces of the coaching staff. 

CB Jerry Jacobs

It was an up-and-down affair for Jacobs. He struggled in coverage for most of the evening and was penalized twice, but wound up with two interceptions on the night. 

The first interception came on the heels of Detroit's first touchdown, and set up a quick second score. His second pick effectively iced the game. 

However, he was called for pass interference once, along with a neutral zone infraction. Additionally, he gave up a pair of long completions. 

His knack for creating takeaways fits Aaron Glenn's scheme, but Emmanuel Moseley is due to return to action soon. Where Jacobs fits in the future remains to be seen.