Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes, Jake Bates made a 35-yard field goal as time expired and the Detroit Lions clinched a playoff spot with a 34-31 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night.

The NFC-best Lions (12-1) broke a franchise record with their 11th straight win – including two over the Packers (9-4) – to stay ahead of Minnesota (10-2) in the highly competitive NFC North.

Detroit coach Dan Campbell went for it on fourth-down five times, succeeding on four of those occasions, including with one yard to go at the Green Bay 21 with 43 seconds left. David Montgomery then ran for seven yards, barely getting a handoff from Goff after the quarterback tripped and was falling toward the turf. That ensured the Lions could try a field goal without giving the Packers the ball back, and Bates hit his third-game-winning kick this season.

Goff threw two touchdown passes on fourth-and-goal, one to Tim Patrick, who had two TD catches. He also threw an interception in the third quarter to set up one of Josh Jacobs’ career-high matching three TD runs for the Packers.

Patrick said Campbell had told his team before the game that they would be aggressive on fourth downs. “[Campbell] let us know before the game that if we’re close we’re going for it [on fourth down] … and we went out and executed,” said Patrick, who missed the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to injury. “We wanted to end the game on our terms.”

Campbell said he faith his team would make plays at crucial times. “I just felt like we needed to end it on offense,” Campbell said. “I did not want to give the ball back and I believed we could convert. I trust the O-line. I trust David.”

Goff found Jahymr Gibbs open in the end zone for a two-yard pass on a fourth down with 11 seconds left in the first half to put Detroit ahead 17-7. Goff later connected with Patrick on a go-ahead, one-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter.

Green Bay took advantage of the only time Campbell’s aggressiveness didn’t pan out, denying Gibbs on a fourth-down run late in the third quarter from the Detroit 31. Jacobs scored for a third time on a three-yard run on the ensuing drive.

Brandon McManus made a 32-yard field goal with 3:38 left to pull the Packers into a 31-31 tie in a game that had four lead changes earlier in the second half.

The Lions’ final drive began with Goff’s 19-yard pass to Jameson Williams. He also connected with Amon-Ra St Brown for 16 yards on the decisive possession. Goff finished 32 of 41 for 283 yards, and six Lions players had at least five receptions. Jordan Love was 12 of 20 for 206 yards with a touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft early in the third quarter.

Patrick said the game had a particular resonance for him personally. “It’s my dad’s birthday tomorrow. He passed away and that was all him … I’m blessed, very blessed,” he said.

• NFL
• Detroit Lions
• Green Bay Packers
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