Forget that changing-of-the-guard story for at least one more week.
The Green Bay Packers didn’t look like the last-place team in the NFC North, and the Detroit Lions sure didn’t look like the first-place team after a 38-10 Green Bay victory Sunday that had Detroit fans booing a familiar sight.
Quarterback Joey Harrington isn’t the next Brett Favre, not just yet. He didn’t even look like the next Joey Harrington after Packers safety Darren Sharper returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown to break open the game in the third quarter.
Favre and the Packers, desperate after four straight losses, didn’t look like the team that had been blown out by Tennessee 48-27 only six days earlier.
A maligned Green Bay defense, inspired by coach Mike Sherman’s pep talk Saturday night, held the Lions to five first downs, one in the last three quarters.
Favre consoled Harrington afterward in the tunnel, telling him to forget the boos.
“Fans were a little hard on him,” Favre said. “I don’t know if you watched Monday night, but we had our share.”
Overcoming injuries and lineup shuffling, Favre remained the constant, throwing two touchdown passes and leaving Lions defensive coordinator Dick Jauron still wondering why he stayed in the division.
Favre’s touchdown passes to Donald Driver and Tony Fisher in the first half marked his 31st straight game with a touchdown pass, placing him behind only the legendary 47-game streak of Baltimore’s Johnny Unitas. Favre had been tied with Dan Marino at 30.
Favre’s top receiver, Javon Walker, was in and out of action after taking a hit to the ribs in the first half. Starting receiver Robert Ferguson didn’t dress. Running back Ahman Green needed more breathers than usual at Ford Field.
So Favre completed 25 of 38 passes to receivers like punt returner Antonio Chatman and tight end Bubba Franks and Fisher and Driver. He handed off to Green, who ran for 81 yards and finished the scoring by throwing his first touchdown pass, a 20-yarder to Driver. Najeh Davenport spelled Green and ran for one touchdown.
Sherman called the plays because offensive coordinator Tom Rossley underwent emergency angioplasty for a blocked artery Tuesday and missed the game.
Favre said Sherman’s face-to-face communication on the sideline was helpful, as opposed to Rossley’s normal position in the coach’s booth. But Sherman’s best play call of the weekend might have been his impassioned Saturday speech.
“I told them their backs were against the wall so far they had splinters up their [rear ends],” Sherman said.
Sherman reminisced about watching players like Sharper mature over the years.
“He opened up himself and showed us a guy we hadn’t seen before,” Sharper said. “It touched a lot of guys. We’d about had it.”
“No doubt about it, it was good,” Favre said. “You hate to think that’s one of the reasons we won the game. Sometimes as a coach, motivation is a big thing. It’s hard to believe in pro football, guys need to hear things like that.”
Sherman said he again stressed the importance of turnovers, and the Packers enjoyed their first turnover-free game since their only other victory opening night in Carolina. The Packers also protected Favre perfectly against a Lions team that sacked Atlanta’s Michael Vick six times last week.
“This was the longest week of the season for me, even though it was a short week,” Sherman said. “This is what we’re capable of doing when everybody does their job.”
Harrington entered the game as the NFC’s top-rated fourth-quarter passer and played as though he was waiting for the fourth quarter to begin. He also was without top receiver Roy Williams, who suited up but couldn’t play because of a sore ankle.
Unlike Favre, Harrington was unable to compensate, overthrowing open receivers and looking more skittish in the pocket than Green Bay’s weak pass rush warranted.
Sharper’s interception came after Lions fans booed consecutive runs on their first possession of the third quarter. As if to show “I told you so,” coach Steve Mariucci ordered a third-down pass that Harrington threw directly to Sharper.
With games against Dallas at Lambeau Field and at Washington, the 2-4 Packers are trying to scramble back to .500 before their week off Nov. 7.
“We’re still in a big hole,” Favre said.
The Lions (3-2) have beaten the Bears, Houston and Atlanta but have been blown out by Philadelphia 30-13 and the Packers. Without first-round rookies Williams and running back Kevin Jones contributing regularly, Harrington and the Lions look as toothless as ever against better teams. Jones played only sparingly in his first game in three weeks.
