Detroit is heading to the playoffs.

The Detroit Lions secured a playoff spot by edging out the Green Bay Packers 34-31 in an exciting Thursday night matchup at home.

With this win, Detroit has swept the Packers this season and currently holds a one-and-a-half game lead over the Minnesota Vikings in the division.

All three teams—Packers, Lions, and Vikings—entered Week 14 with nine or more victories. This marks the first time in 39 years that the NFC North has witnessed this level of success among its teams during Week 14.

Below are the winners and losers from the Lions and Packers showdown:

Winners

Lions Secure Playoff Qualification

With their victory on Thursday, the Lions have clinched a spot in the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The last occurrence of such back-to-back playoff appearances for Detroit was between 1993 and 1995.

Continued Winning Streak for the Lions

The Lions are on a remarkable streak, having won 11 games in a row, the longest ongoing winning streak in the NFL. This also stands as the highest winning streak in the team’s history.

Jared Goff’s Steady Performance

While Goff did have a poor interception in the third quarter, he generally performed well throughout the game.

The Lions quarterback connected on 32 of 41 passes for 283 yards, securing three touchdowns against one interception, resulting in a passer rating of 109.7.

He finished the game throwing 13 consecutive completions.

Tim Patrick’s Comeback

Patrick scored two touchdowns in the game, marking his return to the end zone for the first time since 2021.

After missing the past two seasons due to injuries, Thursday night was a perfect highlight of his resilience.

His six receptions tied for the most in the game.

Losers

Defensive Struggles

In their previous encounter in Week 9, both the Packers and Lions scored a total of 38 points.

This week, they managed to rack up 41 points in just the second half.

Neither team’s defense was particularly effective, especially during the latter half of the game.

The Lions had a legitimate reason for their defensive lapses, however, given that they have 13 defensive players on the injured reserve list.

Penalty Problems

As is common with Thursday night games, this matchup was plagued with penalties. Although there was only one turnover, a total of 14 penalties were called.

Controversial Fourth Down Calls by Dan Campbell

Known for his aggressive coaching style, Lions’ head coach Campbell took a significant risk with a fourth-and-1 decision near the end of the third quarter on his own 31-yard line. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs was stopped for a loss.

This allowed the Packers to score a touchdown just four plays later.

The most debated moment occurred with less than a minute remaining in the game, while the Lions were within field goal range. They managed to convert a crucial fourth down to secure the win, although it was a risky move that could have had unfavorable results.

Nonetheless, Campbell deserves recognition for his commitment to his bold approach, successfully converting four out of five fourth-down tries overall.

Challenges for the Packers’ Title Hopes

The Packers’ chances for an NFC North title are effectively over, now trailing the division-leading Lions by three games with just four more games left in the season.

Detroit has successfully defeated Green Bay in both encounters this season.