5 things to know from Packers' Thanksgiving win over Lions

The Green Bay Packers took down the Detroit Lions by a 31-24 final score on Thanksgiving Day from Ford Field. Jordan Love threw four touchdown passes, Micah Parsons produced 2.5 sacks and Dontayvion Wicks made a bunch of big plays as Matt LaFleur's team used aggressiveness and execution in clutch moments to outlast Dan Campbell's team in Detroit.

Five things to know about the Packers' win over the Lions on Thanksgiving Day:

The Packers won the game on fourth down: The numbers for the Packers and Lions were almost identical, but Green Bay scored a decisive victory on fourth down and won the game because of it. Matt LaFleur stayed aggressive on fourth down, going for it twice in the scoring area, and both times Jordan Love rewarded the gamble with touchdown passes. The Packers defense stopped the Lions twice on fourth down, including on a run stuff to open the second half around midfield and again on the doorstep of the red zone in the fourth quarter. The box score says the Packers didn't have a takeaway, but two fourth down stops are as good as two takeaways. The dagger was delivered on fourth down with under two minutes to go when LaFleur kept the game in Love's hands, and he found Wicks with a fadeaway throw to ice the game. The clutch team won on Thanksgiving Day.

Micah Parsons feasts, makes history: Parsons produced 2.5 sacks of Jared Goff, pushing his season total to 12.5. In doing so, Parsons became the first player in NFL history to have at least 12 sacks in five straight seasons to start a career. He also passed DeMarcus Ware for the fifth-most sacks by a player in his first five seasons (65.0) and passed Jared Allen for the fourth-most games with at least 2.0 sacks in a game during his first five seasons (18). Parsons now has five straight Thanksgiving Day games with a sack. Per Next Gen Stats, Parsons had an incredible 10 pressures on just 26 pass-rush snaps.

Devonte Wyatt's injury made the win bittersweet: Packers coach Matt LaFleur all but confirmed Wyatt suffered a significant ankle injury on the defense's final play, which looked obvious on replay. Warren Brinson crashed into the back of Wyatt's lower left leg right before Micah Parsons' drive-ending sack, and a cart was required was get Wyatt off the field. "It doesn't look good, guys," LaFleur said. The Packers lack depth at defensive tackle and will be hard-pressed to replace their best interior pass-rusher moving forward. A big opportunity is here for Brinson, a sixth-round pick out of Georgia who has flashed the last two weeks. The Packers also need Karl Brooks to recover from an ankle injury and become a consistent disruptor as the likely replacement for Wyatt in the starting lineup.

Love carves up the Lions again: In sweeping the Lions in 2025, Jordan Love tossed six touchdown passes, didn't thrown an interception or have a turnover and had a passer rating of 128.9. He was magnificent on Thanksgiving Day, throwing four total touchdown passes, including two on fourth down. Love also hit on four passes thrown over 20 yards, accounting for 126 yards and two scores, including the 51-yard touchdown to Christian Watson early in the second half. With the Packers defending a seven-point lead on the final drive, Love moved the sticks on third down with a completion to Watson and then iced the game with the conversion to Wicks. FOX presented Love with the "Madden Thanksgiving MVP" award, marking the third straight Thanksgiving Day that Love has won player of the game.

Packers improve to 3-0 against NFC North, 3-0 on Thanksgiving Day under LaFleur/Love: Not only did the Packers keep alive their unbeaten start to the NFC North schedule by sweeping the Lions, but the LaFleur and Love combo is now 3-0 on Thanksgiving Day, including two impressive wins at Ford Field since 2023. More importantly, the Packers have put themselves in a terrific position in the division and will likely be considered the front runner to win the NFC North for the first time since 2021. Vanquishing the Lions, who are now 7-5 after winning the division in back-to-back years, was a huge step for LaFleur's Packers in 2025.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: 5 things to know from Packers' Thanksgiving win over Lions