DETROIT – The discussions about being aggressive against the Lions took place all week.
Well, all short week, as it were.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Jordan Love shared a mindset that the offense had to attack Detroit's man coverage and not be shy on fourth down.
"We had to go out there on fourth down and execute and make some big-time plays," Love said. "That was the difference in the game right there. That's what it comes down to."
Two touchdowns on fourth-down passes, and a game-sealing fourth-down conversion with just under two minutes left, produced a crucial 31-24 victory at over the Lions at Ford Field on Thanksgiving that Packer Nation won't soon forget.
Plenty of times in the past, and particularly last year when the Lions swept both games from the Packers, Green Bay was the victim of Lions coach Dan Campbell's signature fourth-down aggressiveness.
On Thursday, the shoe was on the other foot, as the Packers not only had their three big conversions, but the Lions failed twice on fourth down in the second half.
LaFleur's early gumption turned two field goals into touchdowns, a difference of eight points. The Lions gave up a TD two plays after their initial fourth-down failure, and their second kept three points off the board.
No moment was bigger than with 1:55 left, though, as Green Bay faced fourth-and-3 from the Detroit 45.
Punt the ball back inside the 20 and make Detroit go the length of the field with no timeouts? Or put the game away on offense?
"We're staying aggressive," Love said of the sideline conversation following a Packers timeout. "We got a chance to go out there and ice the game.
"We stayed aggressive and I loved it. Made plays out there."
Dontayvion Wicks leaping catch sealed the win on what will probably go down as the gutsiest play of the season.
It was one thing to eschew the tying field goal in the fourth quarter at Arizona and go for it on fourth-and-2, converting with a pinpoint pass to since-injured tight end Tucker Kraft.
This was another call altogether. Fail and the Lions were just 55 yards from the tying touchdown with plenty of time, and probably the desire to go for a two-point conversion and the win should they score.
It never got to that, and the way the Packers attacked the Lions' man-to-man coverage in that moment mirrored how they went after their defense all game.
"We knew coming in what type of defense they play, and what it's going to take," said Love, who gave his guys chances to make catches along the boundary against single coverage numerous times.
The game-sealing play was actually over the middle, but typified how Green Bay's receivers were asked to win their routes and make contested catches throughout the day.
"It's awesome," Love said of making that play in that spot. "It's a great feeling, game on the line right there, fourth down. Throw it up there, and for him to make that catch is phenomenal.
"To be able to put the game away on a gotta-have-it play … there are moments you have to make big-time plays and that was a big-time play."
What does it mean moving forward? Well, for one, the Packers won't lack for confidence in those situations, though no one would say they ever did.
But for LaFleur, this wasn't some pinnacle. The offense had been slogging away for several weeks looking for a performance like this – the 30-point mark, an efficient 9-of-15 on third and fourth downs combined, and more.
It wasn't entirely clean, of course, because as LaFleur likes to say, it's never perfect.
A couple of catchable passes were dropped, and the offense caught a huge break near the goal line when Romeo Doubs fumbled after a slant completion and teammate Rasheed Walker pounced on the ball to keep the scoring drive alive.
That came late in the third quarter, just a few snaps before Wicks' second TD of the game restored the Packers' 10-point lead. If that possession had ended with a turnover and just a three-point lead with a whole quarter to play, who knows?
Those are the moments that will keep LaFleur and his staff pushing this team to be at its best when it matters most.
"I'm proud of our guys but we've got to keep building on this," he said. "We can't think we've arrived by any stretch, because as soon as you do that you get beat.
"I still don't think we're where we want to get to. I just don't think you can ever be satisfied. You just have to put the work in … there's no substitute for the work. Thankfully we've got a bunch of guys that embrace the challenges. There are no shortcuts in this league and you just have to keep fighting."
Oh, they will. All the way through fourth down, whenever it's required.
