Well, people, this is it. We are down to my last two regular season Packers series history posts. Both will cover Green Bay's long history against the Lions. This is a continuation of the previous parts of the series, with Part 1 covering the series history in Detroit, and Part 2 covering the teams' history on Thanksgiving. Part 4 will be posted later this week.
As many of you know, the Lions haven't won in Green Bay since 1991. But what is Green Bay's home series against the Lions like? You will find out after the jump.
At present, the Packers have a massive lead over the Lions in games played in Green Bay and Milwaukee. The Packers currently lead the series in home games for Green Bay 53-24-4, with a 1-0 lead in the postseason. Here is some information about the Packers playing the Lions in Green Bay.
The Lions entered the league as the Portsmouth Spartans in 1930, and moved to Detroit in 1934. They won games in Green Bay in 1934, 1938, and 1940, but those were their only wins in the state of Wisconsin until the 1950s. By contrast, the Packers won no fewer than 17 home games over the Spartans or Lions during that same time span. Included in this streak is a game in 1945, where Don Hutson scored 41 points in a 57-21 Green Bay win. The 57 points are still a Packers record for a single game for most points scored in a game.
By 1950, the Lions were becoming a force in the NFL, and they won the next five games in Green Bay and held a 7-1-1 margin over the Packers in Green Bay until Lombardi arrived for the 1959 season. Lombardi won six of nine home games against the Lions, losing two and tying one in the 1967 season opener. Lombardi would complain about the scoreboard clock after that tie, claiming the last few seconds ran off the clock too quickly.
Although the Lions won all three games over the Packers in Green Bay from 1968-1970, neither team could establish dominance in Green Bay or Milwaukee, with the teams trading wins until the 1976 season. In that season, the Packers started a four-game home win streak over the Lions, which ended in the 1980 season when the Lions won 29-7 in Milwaukee.
From 1980-1991, the Lions won 8 of 12 games in Green Bay or Milwaukee but could never establish a solid road winning streak against the Packers. Curiously, in three of the years the Lions won in Green Bay, the Packers won the game in Detroit.
Since 1992, the Packers have won every single game in Green Bay or Milwaukee over the Lions. Most of these games have been blowouts, but the Lions have come close several times to ending the streak. From 2004-2006, the Packers won all three games, but by a combined 14 points, and the 2005 game went into overtime. In 2010, the Lions nearly came back from a 28-14 deficit in the third quarter, but the Packers held on for a 28-26 win at Lambeau Field.
The playoff game is also noteworthy, played after the 1994 season. In this game, the Packers held Barry Sanders to a career low -1 yards on 13 rushes and held the Lions as a team to -4 yards rushing. The Packers held on to win 16-12, but lost to the Cowboys the following week.
What are your memories of the Packers hosting the Lions?