Packers Kick In at End

There are still two sure things in Green Bay: Ryan Longwell inside 40 yards and Brett Favre beating the Detroit Lions at home.

The Packers led for only two seconds Sunday, but that was enough to keep their stranglehold over the Lions, who haven’t won in Wisconsin since 1991, the year before Favre’s arrival.

Longwell’s 23-yard field goal gave Green Bay a 16-13 win over the Lions and lifted the Packers (8-5) into first place in the NFC North by a game over Minnesota, which lost at home to Seattle.

It was Longwell’s third game-winner in five weeks and his 43rd conversion in a row from 40 yards in.

“What can you say? I look down there, he gives me the thumbs up,” Packer Coach Mike Sherman said. “I can’t say I don’t still say a few prayers when he’s lining up to kick it. I do. But they’re always answered.”

Favre always has an answer for the Lions.

He led Green Bay back from a 13-0 halftime deficit with four scoring drives, including a 90-yarder into the flag-whipping wind for the Packers’ only touchdown after Ahman Green’s 79-yard touchdown catch was negated by a holding call on rookie center Scott Wells.

Favre, who is 14-0 at home against the Lions, completed only three of 15 passes for 28 yards in the first half, but he was 16 for 21 in the swirling winds for 160 yards and a touchdown in the second half.

“Even with no defense out there, it [would have been] difficult to complete passes,” Favre said.

Snow flurries dampened the field into what Longwell called a “swampy mess” and swirling winds with gusts up to 35 mph wreaked havoc on passes, punts and long snaps and caused a slew of drops.

The Lions wasted a chance to get into the playoff picture in the muddled NFC, falling to 5-8.