97.1 FM's Will Burchfield breaks down Lions win over Packers

Okay, it came down to literally a last-second field goal. The Lions walked away with the win against the Packers at home. Let's break it down, shall we, with 97.1 The Ticket and Lions Game Day Live. Will, Birchfield, Birchie, right on. Were you nervous yesterday? What was the vibe? So I got a text from my wife, and you'll appreciate this, Dina. She moved here six years ago not knowing a lick about football, and she has been converted into a tortured-at-times Lions fan. She texted me after the game ended. I'll clean this up for TV purposes. Games this season are going to take me the bleep out. My blood pressure cannot handle this bleep. I feel like most fans at home felt the same way watching that game come down to the wire yesterday. I was exhausted after watching it. That's why we watch. If every game was a blowout, that would be boring. Yeah, 15-2 was no fun in 2024. No. This is what it's supposed to feel like on Sunday. especially in division and they had waited six weeks to play a team in the NFC North they get the Packers at home coming off the bye and that felt like an old-fashioned NFC North slugfest how often or how rare is that or is it not that late this feels very late very late right yeah most players would say they've never gone this deep into the season without having played a division foe but it's also a division the Lions are trying to reclaim they owned it for three years 15 and three in division from 2022 to 2024 two and four last year swept by Green Bay and Minnesota so they had an axe to grind yesterday and in the end they grinded it just enough okay so what went right and what went wrong we know that it seemed like the Packers were trying to give us that game a little bit and uh we were giving it back officials which was a departure from the norm usually the lines are on the wrong end of controversial calls and more than a couple went in their favor yesterday so that went right for one so penalties uh yeah some roughing the passer yeah questionable roughing the passer call um a questionable pass interference call a number of questionable calls that usually lions are like what how no way but it was i think refreshing for some fans to see it flip yesterday but the defense stepped up for the second week in a row and i think a lot of fans watching the cardinals game two weeks ago wondered okay is this real the defense played well but it's the Cardinals it's Jacoby Brissett it's a lack of offensive weapons yesterday against one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL the defense stepped up again so that feels pretty encouraging sure with the with their new running back yeah you know Josh Jacobs in there it's weird to see what we have a Gibbs fumble and then and then a whoopsie on a on a quarterback snap right yeah two giveaways yeah and so they overcame their own mistakes and look I thought Cade Mays and Brian Branch who both made their season debuts yesterday Mays making his Lions debut made themselves felt Brian Branch early and often was a safety was a linebacker was a nickelback he was lining up basically everywhere but defensive tackle the interception and he had the interception and I'll be honest I haven't heard Ford Field erupt like that this season that was a different level of explosion from Ford Field and Brian Branch does that he energizes the players around him and the fans and the players feed off that i mean kate mays was pretty stout all day protecting jared goff and that's the reason they signed him was to keep jared goff upright and secure against interior pressure so let's talk about what has to be one of the most controversial moments that the decision to not punt and to go for it four and one yeah and we didn't get it four minutes left in the game right 25 or something in field goal territory so what does Tom Brady go what are you doing Tom Brady was uh upset about it yeah I so I think Dan Campbell's rationale there is that he believes the odds are higher that the offense can convert one yard for then his defense can prevent the Packers from taking over and going the length of the field in four minutes in which case the offense would never see the ball again So he's banking on the strength of his team coming up with one measly yard. Now, I thought the play call was rather terrible, and I thought it was rather terrible on the play before that. It was not just fourth and one, it was second and one. So they had three chances to pick up one yard and couldn't do it. I understand the rationale. I don't love the execution of the decision. And frankly, I don't think I'd have the stones to make that call myself. I'd just punt that ball away and hope my defense can get off the field. Is it fair to say that it was the right call because we won? I suppose, but if Josh Jacobs catches that ball that pretty much hits him in the hands in the end zone, we might be having a different conversation today. But I guess you earned your breaks, right? Sure, absolutely. Oh, man, what a game. We can all breathe now. Who's next week? Vikings. Vikings, okay. Yeah. Another easy game in the division. Great. Yeah, another slugfest on deck. Can we do it? I think so. I think so, yeah. Won back-to-back games yesterday for the first time in a year. So might as well make it three in a row. Absolutely. We do want to point this out. This is a really special moment. Dan Miller returned to the booth for the first time since his wife, Cindy, died following her brave cancer battle. And during a break in the action, fans took part in the NFL's Game on Cancer campaign. And Dan and his radio colleagues held up signs honoring Cindy. Fans throughout Ford Field rose to clap for him. Dan and Cindy were married for more than 30 years. So our hearts go out to Dan and his entire family. This had to be a really special moment. It really was. And you could feel the wave of emotion that spread across the stadium. Isn't that beautiful? And people stood and cheered for a good 10 seconds, all devoted to Dan Miller and his family. And I'll tell you what, they tell you to keep a measure of a level of objectivity in the press box, but there were definitely some misty eyes, including mine, during that moment. And I think that goes for most fans in the stadium yesterday. Yeah, so special. All right, we're going to take a quick break, and then we're going to go find some comfort in some hot soup. Oh, I'll stay for some hot soup. You got some hot soup to spare? We do, for you. All right. We'll be right back.