The Green Bay Packers entered their Week 15 matchup with the Detroit Lions hanging on to fading playoff hopes. They would face another team in a similar situation. Both the Pack and the Lions needed to win their final two games and get some help to qualify for the postseason. In the end, linebacker Mike Douglass made a pick six to help the Packers end the Lions home winning streak. Here is the story of the Packers thrilling, last-second win over the Lions.

Mike Douglass Pick Six Helps the Packers End the Lions Home Streak: The Buildup

The Packers entered this game 6-8 while the Lions were 7-7. The Packers were without starting quarterback Lynn Dickey who missed the previous game against the Dolphins. Veteran Jim Zorn started in his place.

To keep their playoff hopes alive, the Packers needed to beat Detroit and have both San Francisco and Washington lose. The Lions entered the game undefeated at home, having gone 6-0 but were just 1-7 on the road.

The two teams met earlier in the season in Green Bay with the Packers crushing the Lions 43-10 with both Dickey and Randy Wright throwing a pair of touchdown passes.

Entering this game, both teams needed a win to keep their seasons alive.

The Lions Fast Start

The Lions got off to a fast start. Running back Alvin Moore gained only five yards in this game in four carries. But two of them were one-yard touchdown runs in the first quarter that gave the Lions an early 14-0 lead. The short runs finished off long, time-consuming drives and it seemed like the Lions were in complete control of the football game.

In the second quarter, the Packers managed to move the football and finally got on the scoreboard. Neither drive resulted in a touchdown. Al Del Greco booted field goals of 38 and 29 yards and the Packers pulled to within 14-6.

But the Lions weren’t done. Before the half ended, quarterback Eric Hipple led Detroit downfield for one more drive. They got to the Packers two where the drive stalled. Eddie Murray kicked a 19-yard field goal and Detroit held a 17-6 lead at halftime.

Packers head coach Forrest Gregg challenged his team at the half and read them the riot act. “We’ve been struggling,” Gregg explained. “I was angry at the half. We were making mistakes. We were letting them do what they wanted.”

Mike Douglass Pick Six Helps the Packers End the Lions Home Streak: The Packers Get Back In the Game

The Packers responded to Gregg’s tirade and closed the gap in the third quarter. They managed the only points of the period on a 37-yard run touchdown dash by running back Gary Ellerson. That pulled the Packers to within 17-13.

Early in the fourth quarter, another field goal by Del Greco made the score 17-16 Detroit.

The Packers were outgained 426-306 in this game but were able to keep it close with five turnovers. Up till now, that included one fumble recovery and interceptions by linebacker John Anderson and cornerbacks Mark Lee and Tim Lewis.

The game, which once looked like a blowout, was ready for a very exciting finish.

A Furious Final Five Minutes

The Lions lost Hipple to knee injury. Veteran Joe Ferguson replaced him and drove the Lions downfield for what Detroit hoped was the game-clinching score.

But Douglass had other ideas. He stepped in front of an underthrown pass intended for Pete Mandley. He eluded several Lions, got good blocks from Mark Murphy and Ezra Johnson and ran the ball back 80 yards for the go-ahead score. The Packers led 23-17.

“That was a great interception by Mike,” Gregg said after the game. “He ran it back for a touchdown, which was just a super play.”

But the Lions weren’t done. They got the ball back with 1:48 left. Ferguson found receiver Leonard Thompson for 38 yards over the middle which put Detroit at the Green Bay 30. Two plays later, he went back to Thompson who made an over-the-shoulder catch in the end zone that tied the game at 23-23. But Murray missed the extra point, and the game remained tied. A high snap was the root cause of the miss.

The Packers got the ball back with 1:10 left in the game. Zorn led the Packers on a 71-yard, seven-play drive. Running back Eddie Lee Ivery provided the biggest play with a 32-yard gain on a draw play.

That set up Del Greco for his fourth field goal of the game. He connected from 27 yards out as time expired to give the Packers a 26-23 victory.

“The general feeling in the huddle was one of confidence on that last drive,” Zorn said. “I wasn’t looking at the clock. I was just concentrating on execution.”

Mike Douglass Pick Six Helps the Packers End the Lions Home Streak: The Aftermath

“It was a real strange game,” Gregg told reporters after the game. “It was an extreme struggle, no doubt about that.”

Unfortunately, the Packers didn’t get the help they needed to stay alive in the playoff hunt. Both San Francisco and Washington won.

“We’re done,” Gregg admitted, “but at least we went down swinging.”

The Packers finished the season one week later with a 20-17 win over the Bucs to finish the season with an 8-8 record. That would match their best record in the four seasons under Gregg.

For Douglass, this pick six was one of many big plays the linebacker made with the Packers. He finished his career in 1986 with the San Diego Chargers and was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2003.

 

 

 

Follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers

Click here for more great Packers coverage

Check out our YouTube channel here