Three takeaways from Lions' dominant 'TNF' win over Packers

The Green Packers (2-2) shrunk at home under the prime-time lights, falling to the Detroit Lions (3-1), 34-20 on "Thursday Night Football." Here are three takeaways from the Lions' dominant Week 4 win. 

Lions defense shines again: A week after limiting the Atlanta Falcons to six points, the Lions defensive unit stood out again against the Packers. They played a massive role in Thursday's dominant first half, arguably winning the game for the Lions at halftime. According to Next Gen Stats, the Lions defense pressured Packers QB Jordan Love on nearly half of his dropbacks despite not blitzing on a single play. Meanwhile, every Packers offensive lineman allowed at least one pressure over the first two quarters. The Lions finished with five sacks, eight tackles for loss and two interceptions. Detroit has now posted five or more sacks in back-to-back games for the first time since 1988. 

David Montgomery's emergence as Detroit's No. 1 back: After the Lions selected Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, many believed that meant a decreased role for Montgomery. Instead, the opposite has occurred and the Lions' decision to lean on Montgomery is paying major dividends. The 26-year-old rushed 32 times for 121 yards, scoring three times to bring his touchdown total to five, equaling his entire output from 2022. Montgomery is only three trips to the end zone away from matching his career high of eight, posted in 2020 with the Chicago Bears. 

Packers weren't ready to play for a second straight week: The Packers have been outscored 59-23 in the first half this season, and those struggles continued for a second straight week against the Lions. At the halftime break, the Lions had more points (27) than the Packers total yards (20). Meanwhile, the Lions boasted 284 yards of total offense to earn a commanding 27-3 lead. Green Bay finally turned it on in the second half, but couldn't recreate last week's dramatic fourth-quarter come-from-behind win against the New Orleans Saints. After back-to-back abysmal first-half performances, it's safe to question why the Packers are having issues in the early part of games.