Packers coach nearly nixed Love-Watson play that started big day - ESPN

DETROIT — Jordan Love and Christian Watson went to sleep Wednesday night with the perfect visualization: The Green Bay Packers quarterback and receiver were going to start the Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions with something big.

And then coach Matt LaFleur had second thoughts.

«Matter of fact, I almost changed that first play call,» LaFleur admitted after Thursday's 29-22 upset win at Ford Field. «I was kind of mulling it over quite a bit, and I texted Jordan this morning and told him I was going to change it to something else.»

Love, however, pushed back. LaFleur decided to trust his first-year starting quarterback and his speedy receiver who has, at times, struggled to come down with those kind of plays.

Good thing, because on the first play from scrimmage, Watson played perfectly the deep ball that Love put up for grabs, and it turned into a 53-yard gain. It set up the game's first touchdown — the third in as many games for rookie receiver Jayden Reed — and the Packers (5-6) never looked back in beating the NFC North-leading Lions (8-3), who came in as 8.5-point favorites.

Love not only rewarded LaFleur for keeping the faith in him and Watson that they could make that play, but he offered another hint that he's going to reward the Packers for turning the team over to him after 15 years of Aaron Rodgers.

Among Love's accomplishments Thursday were:

• His third three-touchdown game of the season. Since 1950, Rodgers is the only other Packers quarterback with a trio of three-touchdown-pass games within his first 15 career starts.

• Career highs as a starter in Total QBR (90.6), first-down rate (41%) and completion percentage over expectation (+7.3%, according to NFL Next Gen Stats).

• Four completions in seven