Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur flipped Dan Campbell’s own strategy against him in a Thanksgiving showdown fans won’t stop talking about.QQ
Does Dan Campbell like to go for it on fourth down? Well, Matt LaFleur can play that little game as well. On Thursday, the Green Bay Packers beat the Detroit Lions 31-24 to sweep them in 2025, and being extremely aggressive was the main reason why it happened. Plus, it was another monster Jordan Love Thanksgiving performance.
The Packers scored two touchdowns on fourth-down plays and killed the one-score game late in the fourth quarter by going for it again. If the Chicago Bears lose to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, the Packers will jump to first place in the NFC North.
Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur being more aggressive
The run game worked to a certain extent — Josh Jacobs had 7.4 yards per carry in the first half. But that didn’t preclude LaFleur from being more aggressive, with a pass-happier approach. It also extended to going for it on fourth downs, and that paid off in a huge way. Both touchdowns the Packers scored before halftime came on fourth-down passes from Love to Dontayvion Wicks and to Romeo Doubs.
To start the second half, there was more aggressiveness. LaFleur called a bomb on second-and-10, with Love and Christian Watson combining for an amazing throw-and-catch.
Needing to kill the clock late in the game, LaFleur reverted to a more conservative approach, but that was justifiable — and Love still converted with passes when needed.
But because aggressiveness is never enough, the game had to end on another fourth-down conversion. LaFleur called it, and Love killed the game, finding Wicks once again.
Matt LaFleur is a great head coach
It’s good to be on the right side of history from time to time. Yes, LaFleur is not perfect. Yes, his conservative nature can be infuriating at times. But LaFleur is a great offensive mind and a fantastic play designer, and he called a masterclass game on Thursday. Even without Jayden Reed, Tucker Kraft, and Matthew Golden, the offense operated at a high level the entire afternoon, maximizing the pieces it does have — Wicks in particular.
It’s nearly impossible to upgrade the head coach from LaFleur. So if you’re mad at him sometimes, and that’s fair, understand that the grass is not always greener on the other side.
Defense’s ups and downs
Jared Goff didn’t have a single completion in the first quarter, and the Lions had -6 net yards. However, Detroit’s offense was much more effective after that, with solid drives and explosive running plays all game long — it certainly wasn’t a great game for Keisean Nixon.
The Packers’ defense had several positive plays, but once again, third down was an issue. It gave up a third-and-13, and Carrington Valentine missed a huge tackle on Jameson Williams; those plays immediately cost points, as the Lions scored two touchdowns in the second quarter.
On the first drive after halftime, the Packers allowed an easy third-and-five, but stopped Jahmyr Gibbs on fourth-and-three, and it was Micah Parsons against the run, you read it right.
The variation of good and bad continued. On the next drive, the defense looked a little tired, generating little pressure, and Goff took full advantage of that. Even on third-and-15, Nixon had a penalty to allow a first down.
Rashan Gary failed to set the edge, for example, and the defense gave up a conversion on a third-and-six run. That cannot happen.
Fortunately for the Packers, though, they have Parsons. He was a complete game-wrecker, with 2.5 sacks, including two big ones in the fourth quarter.
