He is the heartbeat and everything that is great about football

Man, I thought we had that for a moment! The only thing that I really found to be a problem offensively was that I had to get used to the noise in the first half. Defensively, it felt like the Lions were winning with play-calling. They kept catching us in a flash with their fencing games and we never adapted. Nothing drastic is necessary; just keep learning and adapting. Does it seem like we are so close to the mountain top and just need one last wave? I am optimistic.

Watching Detroit as often as I have now, what impresses me most about the Lions is how efficient they are at executing their plans with minimal hiccups. Detroit didn't have more than 28 yards in any of their 76 plays, but kept moving the ball forward. That's the sign of a really good football team that the Packers will need to find answers for if they get a third chance at the Lions.

Mark from Westminster, CO

This game hurt me the most because I held a large part of the Packers' philosophy sacred. We have to start quickly. Shift? We have to leave the field in fourth place. Touchdown? Touchdown? We are playing today's game. The last game the Lions scored on halftime. I wasn't sure we were going to get the ball back eleven minutes into the Bears game. Give the ball to the Lions with 4:35 left. Campbell stuck to his philosophy and they won. The Packers monkeyed with their philosophy and lost. Plays? Players? Or decisions by coaches?

Matt LaFleur cited the first game against Detroit (when the Packers took the ball and scored on a 30-yard field goal by Brandon McManus) as his reason for the postponement. I don't dispute LaFleur's logic at all. Possession was scarce, as the Packers predicted, and LaFleur wanted the ball coming out of the break. It almost worked too.

Hey guys, I seem to remember the Lions having multiple failed fourth-down conversions in last year's Thanksgiving game and four of five last night. That's pretty much your ball game.

That's why it was myKey to the game.”

I've noticed that Tucker turns Kraft into something of an anti-hero. I wonder if you know when Mitchell & Ness will release a No. 85 home jersey.

Kraft is not an anti-hero. He is the heartbeat and everything that is great about football. Kraft's kip-up after being knocked down by two Detroit defenders was about as badass as it gets, especially after Kerby Joseph predictably tried to drive his helmet into Kraft's knee. When you get Shawn Michaels to retweet your clip, you know you're doing something right, and Kraft's logic made sense: He didn't want the Lions to take pleasure in beating him to the ground.

Brian from Sugar Land, Texas

Fourth…what do the analyzes show? Success is quite common. Three teams have a success rate of 80 percent or better. The odds for the entire league are better than even converting. The gamble actually manifests itself when trying to play a fourth-down play with reasonable yardage to win.

The only thing I didn't agree with was Campbell going for it from the Detroit 31 when his team was up 24-21 in the third quarter. NFL Network's Kyle Brandt thoughtfully defended Campbell's aggressiveness, but I'd still argue it was a bit too brutal in that situation. The two fourth-down touchdowns kept me thinking about LaFleur saying that passing plays on goal-to-go are usually immediate or not at all. Goff quickly hit Jahmyr Gibbs and Tim Patrick and that was pretty much the game.

I consider Dan Campbell's decision to go for the win on fourth down as the ultimate recognition of Jordan Love and his attacking talent. Even without a timeout, they have a good chance of getting three. Wouldn't you agree?

Regular readers know that I am always in favor of doing what the opponent wants you not to do. It was also a draw.

Hey Mike/Wes, thanks for all you do. That was a tough loss for Detroit, but I think there is a lot to build on for the long term. In particular, the defense should be commended for their work against some of the best running offenses over the last three weeks, each holding them to 3.3 yards/carry or less. Besides getting healthy in the secondary, what do you think needs to be done to strengthen the pass defense?

Getting healthy is the priority. The Packers need Jaire Alexander. Going down two turns and then losing two safeties is also not ideal. Still, you have to leave the field and the Packers had trouble doing that. As we've said time and time again, Goff is phenomenal at taking what you give him, and he made throws when he needed to.

Mike from New Orleans, LA

Maybe this is too much math for the Inbox, but today's question (yesterday's if posted) makes me curious. What is the Packers' record with and without Alexander? I hope we lose many more without my husband.

The Packers are 8-8 over the past two years without Alexander (5-5 last year and 3-3 this season).