Week 3 Game Recap: Green Bay Packers 31, Detroit Lions 24

What you need to know

Green Bay Packers

RB Ahman Green played against Detroit despite questions that he might miss time with a hamstring injury that surfaced late in the practice week. Green looked below average as a runner, gaining just 63 yards on 22 tries and a long of just eight yards. He did increase his production immensely as a receiver. Green caught eight passes for 68 yards, including one for a touchdown in the final period. QB Brett Favre threw for his 400th career touchdown (as well as his 401st and 402nd), second only to Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino (420). His record pass went to WR Greg Jennings, who led all receivers in yardage and fantasy points for the Packers.

WR Donald Driver remains the primary pass target, getting another nine chances this week. He responded with just three catches for 20 yards, but he did score his first touchdown of the season.

All of the Packers put up gaudy numbers this week, as the Detroit pass defense appears to be very porous.

Detroit Lions

QB Jon Kitna posted great numbers this week, his highest ever total for total yards. He broke the 300 yard barrier for the first time all season and was able to throw for two scores.

WR Roy Williams is once again the main target for Detroit. Eleven passes went his way, as he caught seven balls for a career best 138 yards and also a touchdown.

RB Kevin Jones ran hard and with power throughout the first half. He was over the century mark for total yardage with over 70 yards rushing and 35 more receiving. Jones capped his performance with a short touchdown run in the third quarter.

The Detroit defense kept RB Ahman Green in check, holding him to under three yards a carry. However, the passing defense and the pressure from the line were lacking as QB Brett Favre broke 300 yards and threw for three touchdowns.

What you ought to know

QB Brett Favre, Pass: 25 - 36 - 340 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - -5 - 0

Favre lit up the stat line yet again, as he always seems to do against the Lions. Spurred on early by rookie WR Greg Jennings, Favre racked up 211 yards in the first half. Jennings scored on a 75 yard touchdown for the first of his career, which also happened to be Favre’s 400th career touchdown pass. He later added two more touchdowns, one to Donald Driver and another to RB Ahman Green. Favre finished with over 300 yards passing for the eighth time in his career against Detroit.

RB Ahman Green, Rush: 22 - 63 - 0, Rec: 8 - 68 - 1 (8 targets)

Ahman Green started the game despite reports that hinted to his missing time with a hamstring injury. He played nearly all of the game at tailback, certainly more than any other RB for Green Bay. He struggled as a runner, gaining fewer than three yards per carry and managing a long of just eight yards. He contributed far more as a receiver, as he caught all eight of his targets for a combined 68 yards and a touchdown.

Green nearly cost the Packers the game, as he fumbled the ball in the final minute of the game, which set up Detroit’s final drive. Fortunately for Green and Green Bay, the Lions failed to tie the game with a touchdown.

RB Vernand Morency, Rush: 3 - 3 - 0

Morency played very sparingly, spelling RB Ahman Green on just a few series. He carried the ball three times, two for zero yards and a third for just three yards.

RB Noah Herron, Rec: 2 - 25 - 0 (2 targets)

Herron played very sparingly, and was only used as a receiver. He caught two passes in the second quarter on his only two targets of the game. His first catch was for nine yards and a first down. The second went for 16 and a first down, but he fumbled the ball away to Detroit before the end of the play. The turnover ended a Green Bay drive into Detroit territory just before the half.

RB William Henderson, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (1 targets)

Henderson caught one pass for 13 yards in the fourth quarter. That was his lone target of the game.

WR Donald Driver, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0, Rec: 3 - 20 - 1 (9 targets)

Driver continued to be QB Brett Favre’s favorite target, getting nine chances to make a play. Driver converted just three balls for receptions, but only one incompletion was a drop. Driver tried to stretch the field, getting targeted on a third quarter flea flicker. Driver found the end zone for the first time all season from five yards out in the third. He added two catches for seven and eight yards, respectively.

WR Greg Jennings, Rec: 3 - 101 - 1 (5 targets)

Jennings scored his second touchdown of his career, which also happened to be the 400th career touchdown pass by QB Brett Favre. Jennings caught a pass going across the middle of the field, made Detroit miss several tackles, and ran the rest of the 75 yards for the touchdown in the first quarter. He later added two more catches for 16 and ten yards each before halftime, both going for first downs.

WR Robert Ferguson, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (3 targets)

Ferguson caught two short passes of five yards each in the first half. His third target came in the first quarter, a deep ball of at least 35 yards that sailed out of bounds despite Ferguson’s best efforts to reel it in.

WR Koren Robinson, Rec: 1 - 24 - 0 (2 targets)

Robinson made his first catch as a Green Bay Packer, hauling in a 24 yard catch in the third quarter. His other target fell incomplete. Robinson was also used as a kick returner.

TE Bubba Franks, Rec: 3 - 39 - 0 (4 targets)

Franks was targeted four times, catching three passes in the second and third quarters. All of his catches were for ten to 17 yards and a first down each. His fourth target would have been for about the same result, but he dropped it.

TE Donald Lee, Rec: 1 - 32 - 0 (1 targets)

Lee caught his only target for a 32 yard gain and a first down in the fourth quarter.

TE David Martin, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets)

Martin caught one pass for eight yards in the second quarter on his only target.

PK Dave Rayner 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points

Rayner converted all of his extra points in addition to a 24 yard field goal in the second quarter.

GB Rush Defense

Kevin Jones ran for 81 yards on just 17 carries. He also found the end zone from five yards away in the third quarter. They were very ineffective at getting the team off the field.

GB Pass Defense

QB Jon Kitna was able to rack up over 340 yards passing and complete over 60% of his passes. The Packers recorded three sacks on the game and also intercepted a pass in the first quarter. A better front four roster and a better defensive scheme would likely improve Green Bay in this aspect.

QB Jon Kitna, Pass: 25 - 40 - 342 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 5 - 18 - 0

Kitna threw for his first touchdown of the season, a 37 yard pass in the first quarter to RB Shawn Bryson. He later added another scoring pass to WR Roy Williams, his favorite target of the day. Kitna completed over 60% of his passes and racked up over 300 yards, his highest total as a Lion and the most passing yards in any game of his career. The last time he topped the 300 yard mark was in 2003, when Kitna was in Cincinnati.

Kitna was throwing strongly, but some of his passes were a bit off target. Some receivers that were open were either thrown over or behind on more than one occasion. Overall Kitna had a good game as a passer. He also added 18 yards rushing, with most of those coming on two runs in the second half.

RB Kevin Jones, Rush: 17 - 81 - 1, Rec: 5 - 44 - 0 (6 targets)

Jones ran hard all game, picking up good yardage in the first half (11 carries, 70 yards). He also added three catches for 35 yards before halftime, resulting in over 100 all-purpose yards in the first half. Jones had a quieter second half, adding only 11 yards rushing and just nine more receiving, but did manage to score from five yards away on the ground in the third period.

RB Cory Schlesinger, Rec: 2 - 7 - 0 (2 targets)

Schlesinger caught two short passes, one for a single yard and another for six, in the third quarter. Those were his only two targets.

RB Shawn Bryson, Rec: 2 - 46 - 1 (2 targets)

Bryson caught two passes, including the first Detroit touchdown of the game. He grabbed a short pass out of the backfield and dashed down the middle of the field for the score of a 37 yard touchdown. He later added a nine yard catch for a first down in the third quarter on his second and only other target

RB Brian Calhoun, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (1 targets)

Calhoun caught a short pass for two yards in the third quarter. He was also involved in a rushing play, receiving a lateral from WR Az-Zahir Hakim and gaining five yards. Those five yards are credited to him as rushing yards, but he does not receive a carry.

WR Roy Williams, Rec: 7 - 138 - 1 (11 targets)

Williams remains the top target of QB Jon Kitna, as he had 11 passes come in his direction. He grabbed seven passes for 138 yards, a career high. He also scored a 42 yard touchdown in the first period. He had three catches in the first 15 minutes, adding two 14 yard catches to his score. Williams had four receptions between 13 and 20 yards in the second half. All seven receptions gave the Lions a first down.

WR Mike Furrey, Rec: 3 - 38 - 0 (8 targets)

Furrey was targeted eight times, the second most of any Detroit wide receiver. Most of the targets came in the second half (seven of eight). He collected three catches in the fourth quarter, two short passes and a long one of 25 yards that went for a first down.

WR Az-Zahir Hakim, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (2 targets)

Hakim caught two balls for 14 yards, one six yard pass in the first quarter and an eight yarder in the final period. He added an end around option run of one yard where he pitched to RB Brian Calhoun, who added five more yards rushing on the play.

WR Corey Bradford (3 targets)

Bradford was targeted on both short and long plays but did not catch any of the three balls that came his way. Bradford was also the intended receiver in the second quarter when DB Marquand Manuel intercepted the pass and scored a touchdown for Green Bay.

WR Eddie Drummond (2 targets)

Drummond had two throws come his way in the fourth quarter, but both fell incomplete.

WR Mike Williams (1 targets)

Williams was targeted just once in the last minute of the game.

TE Dan Campbell, Rec: 3 - 53 - 0 (4 targets)

Campbell was targeted exactly once in each quarter. He snared three of the four passes, including a nice 25 yard catch and run on a crossing route in the first quarter. He added a six yard catch in the third and closed with a 22 yard catch in the final period for a first down. He actually caught all four passes, but the seven yard reception in the second quarter was lost due to penalty.

TE Casey Fitzsimmons (1 targets)

Fitzsimmons was the intended receiver once in the first quarter but did not make the catch. He did, however, get ten yards by drawing a defensive pass interference call.

PK Jason Hanson 1 - 1 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points

Hanson made all of his kicks, comprised of three extra points and a lone field goal of 40 yards in the fourth quarter.

DET Rush Defense

Green Bay struggled to run, as Detroit held runningback Ahman Green in check all day. Green rushed for just 63 yards and averaged less than 3 yards per carry. They also forced a fumble late in the game that gave Detroit one last glimmer of hope.

DET Pass Defense

The Detroit pass defense offered very little deterrent to QB Brett Favre. Favre threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns, racking up 211 yards before halftime. This is par for the course against Green Bay it seems, as Favre has thrown for over 300 yards against Detroit eight times in his career.

The Lions managed to mount no pressure on Favre as they obtained zero sacks. They did force an interception that DB Marquand Manuel returned for a 29 yard interception touchdown.