The Detroit Lions got out to an early lead over the rival Green Bay Packers, but in the end the game came down to a handful of plays in the final minutes. Unfortunately for Detroit, a Hail Mary touchdown pass as time expired lifted the Packers to the thrilling 27-23 victory.
Packers vs. Lions 2015 final score: Green Bay wins, 27-23, after crazy Hail Mary
The Packers beat the Lions on the back of a crazy 61-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass with no time on the clock.
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Green Bay trailed by two points with six seconds on the clock, and Rodgers was unable to complete a touchdown pass. Time expired, but the Lions were called for a facemask penalty and the Packers got one more shot at it. Rodgers took the opportunity and hit Richard Rodgers for a 61-yard touchdown for the win:
Matthew Stafford threw for 220 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while the Lions added 101 yards on the ground. Ameer Abdullah put up 67 yards and Stafford ran for 22 yards himself. Aaron Rodgers completed 24 of 36 passes for 273 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and the Lions held Green Bay to just 67 total yards rushing.
It was a miserable first half for the Packers. They were forced to punt on their first two drives, while the Lions managed a field goal and a touchdown the first two times they possessed the ball. The field goal was a 51-yarder from Matt Prater, while Eric Ebron caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Stafford for the first touchdown.
Green Bay's next possession lasted two plays and ended in an interception. The Lions grabbed that interception and took it to the Green Bay 17-yard line. On the very next play, Stafford hit Calvin Johnson for a 17-yard touchdown pass.
The Packers then missed a field goal on their next possession. Fortunately for Green Bay, the second quarter was scoreless, but they still went into the half with a 17-0 deficit.
But the game saw multiple swings of 14 unanswered points in a span of just minutes, and the second time was on the Packers.
In the third quarter, the Packers went on a seven-play, 75-yard drive capped by a Randall Cobb touchdown. On the following play for Detroit, they fumbled and it was recovered by Green Bay. Three plays later, Davante Adams caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to pull them within a score of the Lions. Detroit kicked another field goal to make it a two-score game, but the first score came quickly.
That’s Rodgers rushing for a 17-yard touchdown to put them within a field goal of the Lions. They also converted a fourth down on the play. The Lions were able to clear a significant amount of clock, but the Packers still had the crazy Hail Mary to end the game, and walked out of Detroit with a win. Here’s the final play:
The Packers improve to 8-4 on the season, now tied with the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North. The Lions are now 4-8 and essentially out of the playoff hunt.
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