On Dec. 15, 1991, the No. 1 song in the United States was “All 4 Love” by Color Me Badd, while Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson and Michael Bolton were all in the top five. The two big hit movies at the theater were JFK and The Last Boy Scout.
Lions vs. Packers 2015 live stream: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The Lions are looking for their first win at Lambeau Field since George H.W. Bush was president.
Billy Cole's firearm-aided touchdown run wasn't the strangest thing that happened in football that day, though. At Lambeau Field, the Detroit Lions beat the Green Bay Packers, 21-17. The Lions trailed 10-7 going into the fourth quarter, but Erik Kramer put them ahead with a touchdown pass to Robert Clark and Mel Gray returned a punt 78 yards for an insurance touchdown. Barry Sanders rushed for 85 yards, while Packers quarterback Mike Tomczak completed only 18 of 40 passes on a 10-degree day with sub-zero wind chills.
At the time, it wasn't a big deal. The Lions were finishing off a 12-4 season, and had dreams of the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance, while the Packers were 4-12 and wondering where they could find a quarterback.
Twenty-four years later, it is a game that Detroit fans can't forget. Brett Favre showed up in Green Bay in 1992, and the Lions are still looking for their next win at Lambeau. In 1994, they lost there twice -- 38-30 in the regular season and 16-12 in the first round of the playoffs, a game that saw Sanders carry the ball 13 times for minus-1 yard.
When Favre left, Aaron Rodgers took over. In another season finale in 2008, he threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns to condemn the Lions to the first 0-16 season in NFL history. Three years later, with Rodgers on the bench after going 14-1, it was Matt Flynn making himself a wealthy man by throwing for 480 yards and six touchdowns in a 45-41 win.
This year, the Lions stagger into Green Bay with a 1-7 record, and coming off an ugly two-week period. After firing offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi -- yes, Vince's grandson -- the Lions went to London and were humiliated 45-10 by the Kansas City Chiefs. When they got back for their bye week, 90-year-old owner Martha Firestone Ford fired general manager Martin Mayhew and team president Tom Lewand, then took to the locker room to personally tell her players that she expected more from them.
In the meantime, the Packers are also in a rotten mood after back-to-back losses to the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers. Green Bay's offense collapsed against the Broncos, putting up 140 yards, while the defense has allowed 927 yards in the two defeats.
For the right team, that would be a major opportunity, but the Lions probably aren’t that team. The Packers have struggled badly against the run, but the Lions can’t move the ball on the ground, and Matthew Stafford’s tendency to throw interceptions is a bad fit against a opportunistic Green Bay secondary.
When the Packers have the ball, Rodgers won’t be facing the Broncos’ defense -- or anything close to it. He’s thrown 19 touchdowns as opposed to three interceptions, while the Lions have only picked off four passes and are ranked 31st in pass defense.
The only good news for the Lions? For once, they aren’t headed to Lambeau Field in late December. The weather forecast calls for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-50s.
How to watch
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisc.
Network: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews
Online: NFL Game Pass
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