Photo credit: Getty Images | Running back John Kuhn #30 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates his one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. (Nov. 24, 2011)
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DETROIT -- On the schedule, the 72nd edition of the NFL 's longest-running Thanksgiving Day game lurked as a potential trap for the Packers.
On the field, it played out as an undisciplined flop for the Lions, with standout defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh again at the center of controversy.
Taking advantage of Detroit's 11 penalties and three turnovers with its own systematic confidence and composure, Green Bay flexed its muscle in a 27-15 victory Thursday at Ford Field to remain the league's only unbeaten team.
"You have 16 games each year, and some games carry a bigger chunk of confidence than others,'' coach Mike McCarthy said. "With all the hype of this game, we got a pretty good chunk of confidence out of this victory. I thought our guys did a great job of staying the course."
The defending Super Bowl champions have won 17 in a row, including four in the postseason.
The Packers (11-0) stretched their lead to 14-0 with 9:06 left in the third quarter, two plays after Suh was ejected for stomping on Packers lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith . By the end of the quarter, it was 24-0 and out of reach.
"It had nothing to do with our performance,'' McCarthy said of Suh's ejection. "All it did was give us another first down. But I'm proud of our guys the way we're able to rise above some of the things that happen on the field. This was an excellent character win for our football team."
Suh vehemently denied it was his intention to step on Dietrich-Smith, although replays seemed to indicate otherwise.
"I'm only going to apologize to my teammates, coaches and my true fans,'' Suh said. "I put myself in a position to be misinterpreted and taken out of the game."
Suh's ejection coincided with all the anticipation and electricity being sucked out of the sellout crowd of 66,263. The Lions (7-4) continued to spiral with their fourth loss in six games.
"We didn't take care of what we needed to win this game,'' coach Jim Schwartz said. "We had opportunities and we didn't take advantage of them."
Although the Lions dominated the first half in time of possession, 20:02-9:58, and yardage, 218-86, they still trailed 7-0 after undercutting themselves with 75 yards in penalties.
Despite finishing with only 53 yards rushing, the Packers made up for it through the air. Aaron Rodgers completed 22 of 33 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns.
Greg Jennings' 3-yard catch with 4:51 left in the half made it 7-0. That 13-yard drive was set up by linebacker Clay Matthews ' interception of a tipped pass by Matthew Stafford , who completed 32 of 45 for 276 yards with three picks.
John Kuhn 's 1-yard run and James Jones' 65-yard reception put Green Bay up 21-0 in the third quarter. Mason Crosby 's 35-yard field goal made it 24-0 before the Lions finally scored with 13:11 left in the game on Keiland Williams ' 16-yard run. Calvin Johnson tacked on a 3-yard TD catch with 11 seconds to go.
"We didn't play our best," Stafford said. "We didn't get a bunch of breaks today, but I still feel like we match up with them."
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