ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions watched Washington beat Philadelphia following a bounce-back win at Chicago that helped them keep pace with Minnesota in the race for the NFC North title and the top seeding in the conference.
“I had it on my phone,” Jared Goff said after throwing for 336 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-17 victory against the Bears. “Everyone else seemed to have it on their phone, too.”
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Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, right, celebrates his touchdown with Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) and Tim Patrick during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Detroit Lions defensive end Josh Paschal celebrate his recovery of a Chicago Bears fumble during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams catches an 82-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff as Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff throws an 82-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jameson Williams during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson celebrates the team's 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears in an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell smiles along the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
The Lions and Vikings are 13-2 and have two games left, including the regular-season finale against each other on Jan. 5 at Ford Field. The Eagles dropped to 12-3.
Detroit plays slumping San Francisco on the road next Monday night, a rematch of the NFC championship game in which the Lions lost a 17-point lead in the second half.
“We know we have to win,” coach Dan Campbell said Monday.
Minnesota plays Green Bay on Sunday at home. Philadelphia ends the regular season at home against Dallas and the New York Giants.
“It’s exciting to be where we’re at,” Campbell said. “To me, this is why you want to coach and play in this league.”
Giving the ball to Jahmyr Gibbs. He had a season-high 23 carries — three shy of his career high — for 109 yards and a touchdown, along with four catches for 45 yards. He's more than capable of being featured while David Montgomery attempts to come back from a knee injury.
Gibbs has accounted for at least 70 yards for 15 straight games, matching the franchise-record run Hall of Famer Barry Sanders had in 1997.
Sanders, Billy Sims and Gibbs are the three players in team history to have 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns in a season.
Pass defense. Chicago's Keenan Allen had nine receptions for 141 yards and a score. The Lions have allowed an opponent to have at least 114 yards receiving in three straight games and 96 or more yards receiving in five consecutive games.
Goff. He threw for at least 275 yards and two touchdowns with a passer rating for 135 for the fifth time this year, becoming the first player in league history to do that in a season.
He had the 41st 300-yard passing game of his career, matching the total Hall of Famer Dan Marino and Matt Ryan had through their first nine seasons and trailing only Patrick Mahomes' total of 47 in his eight-year career.
Goff directs an offense that has scored a franchise-record 493 points in 15 games, surpassing the 2011 team that scored 474 points during a 10-6 season with quarterback Matthew Stafford and Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson.
Jameson Williams’ maturity. He was called for taunting against Chicago, drawing a 15-yard penalty to let questions about his decision-making linger. Williams heard about his latest mistake from Campbell on the sideline. Williams shook it off and finished with a career-high 143 yards, including an 82-yard touchdown reception, in what Campbell said was the best game of his three-year career.
Starting guard Graham Glasgow, who was inactive with a knee injury at Chicago, is expected to return to the lineup at San Francisco. ... Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu made his season debut against the Bears after being out with Achilles tendon and finger injuries. ... Campbell said linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin may be available against the 49ers, adding linebacker Alex Anzalone is close to being cleared to practice.
7 — Detroit has won seven straight NFC North games, dating to last season.
The NFL's only undefeated team in road games will aim to extend a franchise record with an eighth win away from home this season against the 49ers to set up a showdown with Minnesota.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, right, celebrates his touchdown with Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) and Tim Patrick during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Detroit Lions defensive end Josh Paschal celebrate his recovery of a Chicago Bears fumble during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams catches an 82-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff as Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff throws an 82-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jameson Williams during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson celebrates the team's 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears in an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell smiles along the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Even though their long-shot hopes of winning the NFC North have vanished, the playoff-bound Green Bay Packers believe they can make a legitimate run at their first Super Bowl appearance since their 2010 championship season.
A rapidly improving defense gives them ample reason for confidence.
The Packers (11-4) followed up a seven-sack performance in a 30-13 victory at Seattle by producing the first shutout of the NFL season, a 34-0 playoff-clinching blowout of the New Orleans Saints on Monday night.
Green Bay delivered its first shutout since a 17-0 triumph over Seattle in 2021 and its most lopsided victory since a 55-14 rout of the Chicago Bears in 2014.
“We’ve noticed all along that the defense is a lot different this year, and they’ve been making some big-time plays all along,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “But any time you can hold anybody to zero points in the National Football League is pretty awesome.”
The Packers were seeking to produce a championship-caliber defense to go along with their dynamic offense when they fired Joe Barry as coordinator in the offseason and brought in former Boston College coach Jeff Hafley to replace him. Green Bay switched from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3, with Hafley emphasizing the need to produce more big plays.
Green Bay has done just that by collecting 28 takeaways — 10 more than it had all of last year — to match the NFL’s third-highest total. The Packers haven’t forced this many turnovers since 2011, when they had 38 takeaways.
That’s not the only area in which the defense has made strides.
Green Bay is allowing just 19.1 points per game to rank sixth in the league in scoring defense. The Packers haven’t finished a season among the top six teams in scoring defense since their 2010 title run, when they yielded just 15 points per game to rank second.
The Packers are giving up 312.1 yards per game for the league’s seventh-best total. That also puts them on pace for their highest season-ending rank since 2010, when they finished fifth in total defense.
“We’re all working together, and we’ve just got some nice playmakers,” linebacker and rookie second-round pick Edgerrin Cooper said.
The Packers have given up as many as 20 points just once in their last six games, a 34-31 defeat at Detroit on Dec. 5. That is the only time Green Bay has lost during that stretch.
Whether this kind of success can carry over to the playoffs remains uncertain.
The Packers’ shutout performance came against a New Orleans offense that was starting rookie fifth-round draft pick Spencer Rattler at quarterback in place of the injured Derek Carr and was missing five-time Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara.
Green Bay’s defense faces a much tougher task Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings (13-2), who beat the Packers 31-29 at Lambeau Field on Sept. 29. This will mark the first time in the series' 64-year history that both teams had at least 11 wins when they face off.
The Packers are eager to see what they can do against another team headed for the playoffs as their defense gears up for another postseason.
“We can do whatever we want to do,” defensive lineman Kenny Clark said. “We write our own story at the end of the day. We’ve just got to keep on building.”
Green Bay outrushed New Orleans 188-67 and improved its season total to 2,209 yards rushing. The Packers haven't rushed for that many yards in a season since 2003, when they had 2,558. … The pass rush has produced 16 sacks over Green Bay’s last four games. … Green Bay is outscoring teams 102-34 in the first quarter. ... The Packers didn't give up a sack Monday and have allowed just five over their last eight games. That represents the fewest sacks the Packers have given up over an eight-game stretch within a single season since 2004.
Penalties remain a bit of an issue. The Packers were penalized six times for 60 yards.
Love has thrown eight touchdown passes without an interception over his last five games. … RB Josh Jacobs has run for a touchdown in six straight games. His 13 TD runs this season are a career high. … K Brandon McManus made field goals from 55 and 46 yards to improve to 16 of 17 this season. His 55-yarder was a season long. … S Zayne Anderson had his first career interception in his first career start. … DL Brenton Cox Jr. has three sacks over his last four games.
There really aren't any candidates for this category, considering the Packers produced their biggest victory margin in a decade.
WR Christian Watson injured a knee Monday night. … CB Jaire Alexander (knee) missed a fifth straight game. S Javon Bullard (ankle), S Evan Williams (quadriceps) and LB Quay Walker (ankle) also didn’t play.
30 – The Packers have scored at least 30 points in each of their last five games. That represents the second-longest string of games with 30-plus points in franchise history. Green Bay had seven such straight games in 1963.
The Packers close the regular season with two divisional games, visiting Minnesota on Sunday before hosting the Bears (4-11). Green Bay is 1-3 against NFC North opponents this season.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Green Bay Packers defensive end Rashan Gary (52) celebrates a fumble recovery during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis.(AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Green Bay Packers defensive end Kingsley Enagbare (55) and defensive tackle Colby Wooden (96) celebrate a fumble recovery during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (25) is stopped by Green Bay Packers linebacker Eric Wilson and safety Zayne Anderson, right, during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) is sacked by Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (95) during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (95) celebrates his sack with defensive end Rashan Gary (52) during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Green Bay Packers safety Zayne Anderson (39) celebrates his interception during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
Green Bay Packers safety Zayne Anderson (39) celebrates his interception during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
