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PONTIAC, Michigan (Ticker) -- The Pontiac Silverdome remains a house of horrors for the Green Bay Packers, even without Barry Sanders. Three plays totaling 210 yards, including a pair of touchdown passes by Charlie Batch, lifted the Detroit Lions to a 23-15 victory over the Packers in a battle of NFC Central rivals. The Lions (2-0) have won three straight and six of the last seven meetings from the Packers here. They are 2-0 for the first time since 1993. The Packers (1-1) had 437 total yards compared to 287 for Detroit. Dorsey Levens rushed for 153 yards on 29 carries for Green Bay, while the Lions managed only 82 yards on 32 carries. But the Packers were burned by big plays. Batch hit Johnnie Morton with a 45-yard touchdown pass and connected with tight end David Sloan on a 74-yard scoring play in the second quarter to give the Lions a 14-3 lead. Both Morton and Sloan emulated the famous "Lambeau Leap" by jumping into the stands at the Silverdome to celebrate their touchdowns. After a safety and a two-yard TD run by Levens in the first 2:32 of the fourth quarter gave the Packers a 15-14 lead, Terry Fair broke off a 91-yard kick return to the Green Bay 8. Three plays later, Batch dove in for a one-yard touchdown, putting Detroit ahead for good. "They took away David (Sloan), so that gave me the other option," Batch said. "I just rolled right and dove into the end zone." It was the first return of the day for Fair, who was inserted by Lions coach Bobby Ross after Green Bay took the lead. "Putting him back was a gut feeling," said Ross. "We had to shoot for it. We were hoping that maybe he could give us that spark." "I knew we needed a big play," Fair added. "I just wanted to give it my all." Jason Hanson kicked a 48-yard field goal with 2:46 left to give the Lions an eight-point advantage. Three-time MVP Brett Favre, who engineered his 14th career fourth-quarter comeback in Green Bay's season-opening 28-24 win over Oakland, was unable to pull off any heroics today. He moved the Packers 53 yards to the Detroit 27, but the drive stalled when Robert Bailey knocked down a short pass intended for Antonio Freeman on 4th-and-2 with 62 seconds left. "They had a couple of big plays and the kickoff return," said Green Bay coach Ray Rhodes. "It's hard to scratch back from that. We gave up some big plays defensively that put us in a bind. You can't win at home or on the road with the type of things that happened today." Favre played with a sprained right thumb and completed 20-of-41 passes for 288 yards with an interception. Freeman had six receptions for 85 yards and Bill Schroeder caught four passes for 87 yards. "(The thumb) doesn't feel good, but you can't make excuses," Favre said. "Maybe it was a factor, but it's still no excuse." Batch was 9-of-16 for 219 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions and Morton had four receptions for 118 yards. Ryan Longwell kicked field goals of 45 and 24 yards in the first half for the Packers. His 24-yarder came with 10 seconds left in the second quarter and capped a 12-play, 93-yard drive. Seven seconds into the second quarter, Batch hit Morton with a short pass over the middlle that turned into a 45-yard TD. Rookie cornerback Mike McKenzie lined up against Morton in the slot, but bit for a fake to the right. Morton cut across the middle and raced by linebacker Brian Williams before sprinting to the end zone. "It was something we saw on film," Batch said. "When I looked off the cornerback, I knew the linebacker wasn't going to cover." Batch and Sloan connected for their long touchdown 5:11 into the second quarter. Sloan ran a route to the middle, where he split the safeties, caught the ball at the Green Bay 45 and outran LeRoy Butler to the end zone to give the Lions a 14-3 lead. "The coaches did a good job of anticipating where they'd (the defense) be," Sloan said. "Charlie made a good read and a good pass. If anything had gone wrong, it would have been my fault." "I know David can run," Ross added. "I think he's a real weapon. If anything, we have to give the ball to him more." After a scoreless third quarter, the Packers picked up a safety on the first play of the final period when Allen Aldridge snapped the ball over punter James Jett's head and through the end zone. The Packers took over on their 48 after Desmond Howard returned the ensuing free kick 19 yards. Green Bay drove 52 yards in only five plays, capped by a two-yard TD by Levens that opened a 15-14 lead. Fair caught the ensuing kickoff and raced 91 yards before he was caught by Corey Bradford at the Green Bay 8. After two carries by Ron Rivers netted seven yards, Batch rolled right and dove into the end zone to give Detroit the lead with 10:57 left.
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