The Green Bay Packers battled past the Detroit Lions to secure the NFC North title and the number two seed in the NFC playoffs.
The Packers had success on their first possession of the game as they drove right to the goal line, but they couldn't find the endzone in three attempts.
Mike McCarthy kept his offense out on fourth down to go for the score, but Eddie Lacy was stopped on the goal line by several defenders.
However, the home side did find the endzone when Sam Martin's punt was collected by Micah Hyde and returned all the way for a 55-yard score as he made many would-be tacklers miss with a jinking run.
The Lions had the chance to hit back as Lacy fumbled the ball, but Matthew Stafford couldn't get his offense moving and they missed a chance to kick a field goal when they failed to convert on a fourth-down play.
The Packers extended their lead when Rodgers picked out Randall Cobb in the endzone for seven-yard score, but the touchdown came at a huge cost as the quarterback fell to the ground clutching his already-injured calf and he had to be helped from the field.
The Lions compounded the home side's woes as they got back into the game when Stafford fired the ball downfield to Calvin Johnson, who made a grab between two defenders for a touchdown.
In the second half, Matt Flynn replaced Rodgers for the Packers' first offensive series and led them to a three-and-out, which allowed the Lions to get back on level terms as Stafford fired over the right side of the field for Johnson to score his second touchdown of the game with tip-toe catch.
Rodgers returned to the game and somehow managed to complete a series of throws to take his team to the red zone, and he then fired to Cobb on a slant route to put McCarthy's men back in front.
The quarterback continue to show his toughness as he led his team downfield once again, and this time he kept the ball on the goal line before rushing for the score himself through the middle of the line.
Stafford tried to launch a late comeback for his side as they trailed by 14 points, but he then conceded a safety as he was penalised for intentional grounding in the endzone to increase the deficit to 16 points.
However, the Lions gathered the onside free kick and managed to score a touchdown when Stafford found Theo Riddick in the endzone, but their two-point conversion failed as Joique Bell was ruled down before crossing the goal line, leaving them with a 10-point deficit with just 90 seconds remaining.
The Packers managed to hold out to secure the number two seed in the NFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Simon Sinclair
