Jordan Love led the Green Bay Packers to a Thanksgiving upset by beating the in-form Detroit Lions 29-22 in NFL action on Thursday, as the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers continued their march toward the playoffs.
Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland set a new NFL record for six picks when he threw an interception for a touchdown in a 45-10 victory over the Washington Commanders. 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey continued his stellar season by totaling 114 rushing yards and scoring two touchdowns in a 31-13 win at Seattle.
Green Bay quarterback Love delivered his best performance since replacing Aaron Rodgers this season. He threw for three touchdowns and 268 yards while completing 22 of 32 passes in the upset win over the Lions.
The Packers scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and took a 23-6 halftime lead as their offense stepped up and their defense put pressure on Lions quarterback Jared Goff.
Green Bay scored on the game’s first drive, with Love passing short left to Jayden Reed at the end of a five-play, 75-yard drive that began with an excellent 53-yard pass to Christian Watson.
The Lions responded immediately, and Goff connected with Sam LaPorta on accurate pass coverage in the end zone.But Love, who spent three years on the bench as Rodgers’ backup, was in the mood and responded by leading his team on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a nine-yard pass, short to the right towards Tucker. Kraft.
The game took a decisive turn in Green Bay’s favor when Rashan Gary got to Goff and forced a fumble as the quarterback threw, with the loose ball recovered by Jonathan Owens, who ran 27 yards for a touchdown.
Love credited the offense’s growing understanding for their explosive start, but also highlighted the defense for the pressure they put on Goff, especially Gary, who delivered three sacks and forced two fumbles. “They applied a lot of pressure. RG was at quarterback every time.
They had some big turnovers, so it was a great performance from them,” he said.The Cowboys extended their winning streak to 13 games with a convincing victory over Washington, with quarterback Dak Prescott throwing for 331 yards and four touchdowns.
Dallas led 20-10 at halftime thanks to Prescott’s touchdown passes to Rico Dowdle and Brandin Cooks and a seven-yard run by running back Tony Pollard.
Dallas ran away with the game in the fourth quarter, capping the victory with Bland’s record-setting interception.Bland tied a single-season record of four pick sixes in last week’s win over Carolina.
This time, he anticipated Sam Howell’s pass intended for Jahan Dotson and then ran into the end zone for a 63-yard score.”It just means everything, having the fans and the family and the coaches there.
To do it on Thanksgiving is another day to be thankful for,” Bland said. The win brings the Cowboys to 8-3 on the season, while division rival Washington falls to 4-8. The Philadelphia Eagles lead the NFC East with a 9-1 record.
The loss adds pressure on Commanders head coach Ron Rivera, but he said he’s not worried about his future.“I already told you that I don’t worry about anything. I’m just going to do my job and see how things go. It’s the only thing I can do,” Rivera said.
The 49ers took a 24-3 halftime lead in Seattle when McCaffrey scored twice in the second quarter, bringing his touchdown total to 11, a franchise single-season record.
Seattle had a glimmer of hope early in the third when Jordyn Brooks intercepted a deflected pass from 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and headed home.
But San Francisco’s defense, which had sacked Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith six times, held on and the victory was decided when Purdy found Brandon Aiyuk over the middle for a 28-yard touchdown.The Niners are 8-3 and lead the NFC West by two games over the 6-5 Seahawks.
San Francisco will then face a rematch of last year’s NFC championship game when it takes on conference leader Philadelphia on Dec. 3.The holiday schedule continues Friday with the New York Jets hosting the Miami Dolphins.
