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Packers' Rodgers beats Lions with 3 TDs on road

Photo

Associated Press

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, right, escapes the grasp of Detroit Lions defensive tackle Langston Moore in the third quarter of an NFL football game in Detroit on Sunday. Green Bay won 48-25.

DETROIT — The Aaron Rodgers era is looking pretty good so far.

Rodgers threw three touchdown passes in the first four drives of his second start, helping Green Bay build a big lead it needed in a 48-25 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Green Bay led 21-0 midway through the second quarter, but fell behind by a point with 7:41 left after Calvin Johnson caught his second TD in the fourth quarter.

The Packers went back ahead with a field goal on the ensuing drive, then turned the game into the rout it had been for much of the day with three straight interceptions.

Charles Woodson and Nick Collins returned two of the picks for touchdowns, giving Green Bay a lopsided lead again.

Green Bay (2-0) certainly will not regret its decision any time soon to stick with Rodgers, a first-round pick in 2005, and trade Brett Favre to the New York Jets after he came out of retirement.

Rodgers was 24-of-38 for 328 yards, three scores and a fumble. He threw a TD and ran for another in his debut as an NFL starter, leading the Packers over the Minnesota Vikings.

Brandon Jackson ran for 61 yards, including a 19-yard score that put the Packers ahead by more than a TD with 3½ minutes left. Greg Jennings caught six passes for 167 yards, while Donald Driver, James Jones and Jordy Nelson all had TD receptions.

The Lions are 0-2 for the fifth time since 2001, when Matt Millen took control as team president beginning a stretch of futility that has sunk the franchise to an NFL-worst 31-83 record.

Kitna was 21-of-41 for 276 yards, two TDs and three interceptions.

Johnson finished with a career-high 129 yards receiving.

Rodgers took a step out of Favre's shadow in his highly anticipated debut last week and moved closer to establishing his own reputation in his first road game.

After a three-and-out drive, he stepped up in the pocket to avoid a sack, scrambled to the right and threw a sharp pass in the end zone to Jones.

Rodgers looked right and threw left on the next drive for a 2-yard pass to Driver.

He perfectly lofted a pass to Nelson for a 29-yard score to give the Packers a 21-0 lead with 6:47 left in the first half.

As Green Bay seemed to get conservative on offense, Jason Hanson kicked two field goals in the second quarter and another in the third to pull Detroit within 12 points.

Johnson bobbled a pass on a crossing pattern before grabbing it and scoring on a 38-yard reception. Then Green Bay punter Derrick Frost let a snap sail through his hands, giving Detroit a safety and making the score 24-18.

Johnson caught another short pass and turned it into a big play, scoring on a 47-yard TD that included a broken tackle and two Packers grasping at air.

But as it did last week in Atlanta, Johnson's spectacular showing came in a loss as the Packers made the key plays late in the game.