PONTIAC, Mich., Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Brett Favre helped staked Green Bay to a 16-point lead with two touchdown passes Thursday and the Packers survived a late Detroit flurry to down the winless Lions, 29-27.
Detroit scored two touchdowns in the final 77 seconds only to miss on a chance to force overtime when a two-point conversion failed with 10 seconds remaining.
Green Bay improved to 7-3 and moved within a half game of the Chicago Bears in the race for the NFC Central title. Chicago will play Minnesota Sunday night.
Playing like the NFL's worst team, the Lions committed three turnovers deep in Green Bay territory and trailed, 29-13, in the fourth quarter.
But behind backup quarterback Mike McMahon, the Lions almost staged of the great comebacks in their long history of hosting a Thanksgiving Day game.
Lamont Warren scored on a one-yard run with 1:17 remaining and the Lions' rookie quarterback ran for the conversion, pulling Detroit within 29-21.
On the ensuing onside kick, Jason Hanson tricked Green Bay, kicking with his left foot. He popped the ball into the air and down to the 35. When a Packer failed to recover, Todd Lyght pounced on the ball for the Lions at the Green Bay 31.
Four plays later on a fourth and four play, McMahon found Scotty Anderson in the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds remaining. But the Lions could not convert on the two-point try. McMahon rolled to his left and threw across his body into the end zone looking for tight end David Sloan, but the ball fell incomplete.
Detroit (0-10) remained the NFL's only winless team and is within one defeat of matching the 1942 squad for the worst start in club history.
Ahman Green rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown and had a 35-yard scoring reception for Green Bay (7-3).
Favre threw a one-yard touchdown pass to David Martin with 18 seconds left in the first half and found Green on the 35-yarder on the Packers' first possession of the second half.
