Lions retain control of NFC North with late victory over Packers - ESPN

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions firmly positioned themselves to repeat as back-to-back champions of the NFC North with a gutsy 34-31 win over the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field on Thursday night.

The Lions have now won 11 consecutive games, which is the longest streak in franchise history, despite falling behind 28-24 in the fourth quarter and overcoming a plethora of defensive injuries.

The Lions haven't lost to Green Bay since Nov. 23, 2023, which was 378 days ago, and their lone loss this season came against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 15.

Here are the most important things to know from Thursday night for both teams:

Promising trend: Detroit's «Sonic & Knuckles» duo of running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery continued to feast Thursday. Montgomery, aka «Knuckles,» helped the Lions score first with a 3-yard touchdown on the opening drive. Gibbs, nicknamed «Sonic,» gave the Lions a much-needed halftime boost with a 2-yard receiving touchdown from quarterback Jared Goff with 11 seconds left in the second quarter. Gibbs and Montgomery also made history Thursday, becoming the first Lions running back duo to both log at least 12 scrimmage touchdowns in a single season.

Troubling trend: Lions rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold has now been called for pass interference seven times this season, which is the most in the league. On Thursday, he was flagged in the end zone while covering Packers receiver Christian Watson with 5:49 in the second quarter, setting up a Josh Jacobs rushing touchdown on the next play.

Most surprising performance: Lions WR Tim Patrick. Patrick continued to find a role within Detroit's high-powered offense with six catches for 43 yards against Green Bay. He caught his first receiving touchdown