Snapshots in Time: Packers in Detroit; Thanksgiving Day memories
Enjoy these memorable photos from Packers vs. Lions past match-ups in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. Photos by AP, Jim Biever and Vern Biever.
Nov. 24, 2011 - QB Aaron Rodgers accepts the FOX Galloping Gobbler award after throwing for 307 yards at two touchdowns with a 116.6 QB rating in the Packers' 27-15 win. Green Bay has scored more points (3,531 in the regular season) against the Lions than any other franchise.
Nov. 22, 1951 - Packers FB Fred Cone (66) cuts around the left end for a 25-yard gain during the third quarter in Detroit on Nov. 22, 1951. The Packers lost their first Thanksgiving Day game against the Lions, 52-35.
Nov. 24, 2011 - OLB Clay Matthews (52) intercepts a pass from Lions QB Matthew Stafford during the second quarter. The win secured the Packers' 11-0 record. Thursday will mark the 21st all-time meeting between the clubs on Thanksgiving, with the Lions holding an 11-8-1 edge in the series on the holiday. Green Bay and Detroit first met on Thanksgiving in 1951 and went on to meet on the holiday in 13 consecutive seasons (1951-63).
Nov. 26, 1953 - Packers Head Coach Gene Ronzani (left) and assistant coach Hugh Devore are shown walking across the field during halftime at Briggs Stadium in Detroit on Nov. 26, 1953.
Nov. 27, 2003 - QB Brett Favre celebrates his 5-yard touchdown pass to TE Bubba Franks during the second quarter.
Nov. 22, 2007 - Aaron Rodgers photo-bombs a captains photo featuring DB Charles Woodson (21), DE Jason Hunter (57) and RB Ryan Grant (25).
Nov. 24, 1961 - A mud-covered HB Paul Hornung (5), who was on a one-day pass from military duty, is shown reeling off yardage in the third quarter for the Packers, who virtually clinched another divisional title by beating the Lions on Thanksgiving, 17-9. Teammate TE Gary Knafelc (84) moves in to take out Gary Lowe (43) of the Lions.
Nov. 24, 2011 - FB John Kuhn (30) looks to the referee after crossing the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown run during the third quarter in Detroit. The Packers won, 27-15.
Nov. 23, 1962 - Lions DL Darris McCord (78) and Roger Brown (76) tackle Packers QB Bart Starr (15) in the backfield as T Forrest Gregg (75) looks on. The Lions handed Vince Lombardi's Packers their only loss of a championship season.
Nov. 22, 2001 – The Packers defense sacks QB Charlie Batch in the end zone for a safety. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila was responsible for the sack, while finishing 2001 with 13.5.
Nov. 26, 2009 - OLB Clay Matthews (52) pressures QB Matthew Stafford (9) during the first half. The Packers won, 34-12. Matthews finished the 2009 season leading the team with 10 sacks.
Nov. 22, 1962 - QB Bart Starr scrambles from the pocket to pick up a few yards on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit. The 1962 team finished first in the Western Conference and won the NFL Championship vs. the New York Giants later that year.
Nov. 22, 2001 - QB Brett Favre (4) is sacked by Lions LB Chris Claiborne (50) in the second quarter in Pontiac, Mich., on Thanksgiving. The Packers won, 29-27. No two teams have faced off on Thanksgiving more than the Packers and the Lions, with Detroit and Chicago ranking No. 2 with 15 meetings.
Nov. 26, 2009 - WR Donald Driver waves to the crowd after receiving the FOX Galloping Gobbler award. Driver caught 7 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown in the Packers 34-12 win.
Nov. 27, 1958 - Lions T Lou Creekmur (76) returns a kickoff during play against the Packers at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The Packers lost, 24-14.
Nov. 27, 2003 - TE Bubba Franks catches a 5-yard touchdown pass in front of Lions S Corey Harris during the second quarter in Detroit.
Nov. 22, 2007 - Head Coach Mike McCarthy and QB Brett Favre on the sidelines during a 37-26 win over the Lions on Thanksgiving. Green Bay has a 14-1 mark (.933) against the Lions under Head Coach Mike McCarthy, which is tied with New England (14-1 vs. Buffalo) for the best winning percentage by a team vs. a divisional foe since 2006. Dating back further, the Packers have won 15 of the last 16 against Detroit and 23 of the last 26 in the series.
Nov. 26, 2009 - Head Coach Mike McCarthy and QB Aaron Rodgers talk on the sideline during a 34-12 win at Ford Field as crowds were sparse. Green Bay's current three-game winning streak in Thanksgiving contests is tied for the longest in franchise history (league games only), matching the Packers' three-game winning streak on Thanksgiving from 1930-32 (victories against the Frankford Yellow Jackets, Providence Steam Roller and Brooklyn Dodgers).
Nov. 24, 1955 - Packers DT Dave Hanner (79) runs towards the ball carrier in Detroit. The Lions defeated the Packers, 24-10. No other NFL teams have played every year since 1932, when the Packers and the Lions, then known as the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans, began their yearly home-and-home series.
Nov. 24, 2011 - WR James Jones (89) outruns Lions DB Brandon McDonald (33) for a 65-yard touchdown in the third quarter of a 27-15 Packers win.
Nov. 22, 2007 - CB Jarrett Bush breaks up a pass in the end zone intended for Lions WR Calvin Johnson in the first half of the game. The Packers won, 37-26.
Nov. 26, 2009 - TE Donald Lee dives over the Lions defensive line for a touchdown in the second quarter. The Packers won, 34-12.
Nov. 22, 2007 - WR Ruvell Martin (82) makes a 3-yard touchdown catch in front of Lions CB Tony Beckham (41) in the third quarter. The Packers won, 37-26, and finished first in the NFC North that year.
Nov. 24, 2011 - QB Aaron Rodgers (12) celebrates throwing a 65-yard touchdown pass to James Jones in the third quarter. The Packers have emerged victorious in each of the last three meetings with the Lions on Thanksgiving, winning games in 2007, 2009 and 2011.
Nov. 24, 2011 - CB Tramon Williams (38) breaks up a pass intended for Lions WR Calvin Johnson (81) in the second quarter, Williams' second PD of the day. With help from Aaron Rodgers' 307 yards and 2 TD, the Packers won, 27-15.
Nov. 26, 2009 -Captains DE Cullen Jenkins (77), S Derrick Martin, and WR Greg Jennings (85) pose for a photo at Ford Field.
