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TIM AND MIKE: Week 9 observations

Stafford's performance: How good was Matthew Stafford Monday night in Lambeau? His 132.4 passer rating was the second highest for an opposing quarterback at Lambeau Field (min. 20 att.) in its history. Only Randall Cunningham in the 90s had a better rating (145.8). Stafford was particularly good pushing the ball down the field, as he completed 10-of-14 for 168 yards and his two touchdowns on passes that traveled more than 10 yards in the air, per Pro Football Focus stats. – *Tim Twentyman

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Crowd control: It's helpful for a visiting team to take the crowd out of the game, and the Lions went a lot further at Lambeau Field Monday night. They took the crowd out of the stadium. By the middle of the fourth quarter, Lambeau looked like it was half full – at most – with the Lions in control and Packers fans leaving early. – Mike O'Hara

Big play Slay: Lions cornerback Darius Slay was very good again Monday night. Slay was targeted four times and only allowed two catches for 17 yards, most of that work coming against Jordy Nelson. Brett Hundley had a passer rating of 61.5 when throwing Slay's way. Slay's now gone against the likes of Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jordy Nelson this year, and has played well against all four. When do we start talking about Slay for the Pro Bowl? – Tim Twentyman

Clock control: The Lions had a wide edge in possession time, and third-down conversion rate was the primary reason. The Lions converted 8-of-13 on first down to 2-of-9 for the Packers. All eight of the Lions' third-down conversions were passes. Matthew Stafford was 8-of-10 passing on third down. – Mike O'Hara

Blitz success: Detroit defensive coordinator Teryl Austin threw a lot at inexperienced Packers quarterback Brett Hundley in the way of coverage looks and blitzes. Hundley had a decent game, but the blitz especially affected him. Austin dialed up a couple blitzes that got home, and a few others flushed Hundley out of the pocket resulting in incompletions. Tahir Whitehead and Tavon Wilson both recorded sacks on blitzes. – Tim Twentyman

"Killer" tackle: Safety Miles Killebrew lived up to his college nickname with a strong tackle on a kickoff return late in the first half. Trevor Davis looked like he had a chance for a good return when he fielded a kickoff at the six-yard line, but Killebrew got downfield to tackle him at the 15 for a nine-yard return. The Packers still managed to drive to a field goal on the last play of the half. – Mike O'Hara

Good fill in: It's yet to be determined if the Lions get back starting left tackle Taylor Decker this week vs. Cleveland. If Decker isn't ready, the Lions have to feel pretty good about the way Brian Mihalik has stepped in and played in his first two starts the last two weeks. Mihalik had some inconsistencies in the run blocking department in Green Bay, as did a number of players upfront, but he allowed just one quarterback hurry (no hits or sacks) the entire game. He's allowed six hurries, one hit and no sacks in two weeks. Not bad at all for his first two career starts. – Tim Twentyman

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View the best stylized images from the Detroit Lions Week 9 win against the Green Bay Packers.

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