Big Ten: Packers-Lions Noteworthy Numbers

Because the Big Ten has 14 teams, our weekly Big Ten numbers piece includes 14 stellar stats that help tell the story of the Green Bay Packers’ 23-22 victory over the Detroit Lions.

minus-3: Where Green Bay finished on the turnover table, with three giveaways and zero takeaways. The Packers had lost 19 in a row when minus-3 or worse since the 2002 season, according to Pro Football Reference. Their last win? Nov. 4, 2001, against Tampa Bay.

0: Seconds in which the Packers led. “It just speaks to the character that we have, and the resolve, and perseverance and the willingness to battle until that clock says zero,” coach Matt LaFleur said.

0.062: The winning percentage for all NFL teams that were minus-3 or worse in turnovers since the start of the 2017 season, a combined record of 6-98-1 before Monday night, according to Pro Football Reference. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been a part of a team where we lose the turnover battle by three and came out on top,” LaFleur said. “That’s rare. It doesn’t happen in this league very often. That’s why we stress the ball so much. Our guys stuck together and continued to fight.”

2: Possessions out of six in which Detroit gained more than 8 yards in the second half.

2: Or more touchdown passes by Matthew Stafford in his previous nine games against Green Bay, the second-longest streak in NFL history behind Dan Marino’s 10 games vs. the Jets. The Packers didn’t allow any touchdown passes on Monday.

2.8: Yards per carry allowed by Green Bay’s defense, which entered the week ranked 29th with 5.2 yards allowed per carry.

3.5: Yards per carry by Green Bay’s offense in the first four weeks, which ranked 26th in the league.

5.0: Yards per carry by Green Bay’s offense the past two weeks, which ranks fifth in the league.

6: Sacks by Za’Darius Smith, which is tied for fifth in the league.

7: Sacks by Preston Smith, which ranks third in the league. He had only four sacks all of last season for Washington. Since sacks became an official stat in 1982, the Smiths are the first tandem for the Packers to reach at least six sacks in the first six games.

7: Passing yards allowed in the fourth quarter by the Packers. They gave up 168 in the first quarter. “Other than those big plays, I feel like we stopped everything,” safety Adrian Amos said.

45: Yards by Jamaal Williams on a second-quarter run, the longest of his career. That’s as long as the combined distance of his previous longest runs – 25 yards vs. Tampa Bay in 2017 and 20 yards vs. Chicago last year. “Shoot, I was trying to go to the house, but I didn't know how close he was to me,” Williams said. “These dudes love stripping the football, and I was like, ‘They ain’t going to get it from me.’ I’ll run down there with two hands on it. I almost outran him, though.”

134: Yards gained by Detroit on its two big plays in the first quarter – 66 yards to Kenny Golladay on a flea flicker to start the game and 58 yards to Marvin Hall on the first play of the second possession. Detroit gained 165 yards on its other 53 plays.

147: Passing yards by Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter. “Aaron was spectacular,” LaFleur said. “I thought he was great all night long. You never want to take that for granted. But it’s pretty remarkable what he’s able to do out on that field and really give the guys confidence that we’re going to get the job done. In that fourth quarter, he was certainly calling for Allen (Lazard). Those two guys made it come to life so I was really happy for both of them.”