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Detroit — Fans in the Motor City are famous for their "same old Lions" narrative.

On Sunday at boisterous Ford Field, it was the same old Packers, at least early in the season.

Everything seemed to be so stale with these Packers, coach Mike McCarthy's ninth team in Green Bay. Detroit had it all covered in coach Jim Caldwell's third game, from McCarthy's playbook to Aaron Rodgers' tendencies to the Packers' less than imposing defense.

For the moment, at least, there's a new sheriff in the NFC North Division. Once again, the Packers have started another season poorly.

"We are," said Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew about the favorite's role in the division after the 19-7 victory. "We beat Green Bay. Now we have to prove that every week."

The Packers bowed out with nary a whimper. Within reason, Detroit basically did whatever it wanted to do and the Packers could offer little or nothing in response.

Green Bay's running game? It lay in repose for a third straight week.

Passing game? The patchwork back seven of new coordinator Teryl Austin's defense handled the Packers' no-huddle and route combinations like they were yesterday's news.

McCarthy and players praised the defense, but let's be honest. Dom Capers' unit couldn't get off the field (the Lions converted 61% of third downs), and in the last seven minutes fell apart like a cheap suit.

While the Lions (2-1) played with tremendous heart overcoming the first-quarter losses of middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch (knee) and nickel back Don Carey (hamstring), the Packers lacked inspiration and fresh ideas both to sustain drives and stop them.

"I'll start with the obvious," said McCarthy. "A disappointing loss. I look at the game from our perspective as missed opportunities."

Since McCarthy and Rodgers got rolling in 2009, the Packers have started 2-2, 3-3, 2-3, 1-2 and now 1-2 for the second year in a row in five of the six seasons. The only fast start was in 2011 when the Packers went 15-1.

McCarthy's main early objective — a quick start — has failed.

The Packers always have been most vulnerable early, especially on the road and before the weather turns in their favor.

There were the pair of September defeats in Seattle (2012, '14), not to mention losses on the road at Minnesota ('09), Washington ('10), Chicago ('10), Indianapolis ('12) and Cincinnati ('13).

Notice that Detroit wasn't on that list. McCarthy was 14-2 against the Lions, and Rodgers hadn't lost in his nine full games against them. In Rodgers' four 60-minute games at Ford Field his passer rating was a through-the-roof 117.0.

Not only didn't McCarthy & Rodgers own the Lions this time, they were outcoached and outplayed at every turn.

Carey's departure left a player that didn't join Detroit until Tuesday, vagabond Danny Gorrer, lined up across from Randall Cobb as the nickel back.

Without Tulloch, their every-down linebacker since 2011, the Lions eventually junked their nickel defense for a dime with Muhammed Seisay playing the other slot. Seisay, a rookie free agent, was activated from the practice squad Saturday.

Against this depleted back end, the Packers' longest gain was 18 yards. In Seattle, they had merely one play for 20 yards or more.

The Packers ran their no-huddle most of the way, stationing Jordy Nelson and Jarrett Boykin wide with Cobb tucked underneath.

Snap after snap, the Lions looked across at the Packers as if they were the Tennessee Titans with Jake Locker under center. In other words, they didn't act the least bit concerned.

"Our scout team did a great job preparing us for it (no-huddle)," said Rashean Mathis, the Lions' 12th year cornerback (2003-'12 in Jacksonville). "We did a great job communicating across the board with no busted coverages, and that's huge. The great quarterbacks can expose you when you bust coverages."

There was a dulling sameness to the Packers' passing game. It fooled no one.

Five of Rodgers' 11 incompletions were extremely well-covered.

Cobb wasn't able to separate from Gorrer on a fade and Seisay on an in-breaking route; Nelson couldn't get open against backup safety Isa Abdul-Quddus once and then linebacker DeAndre Levy on a late fourth-and-5 in the end zone; and Boykin tried a back-shoulder but cornerback Darius Slay was in his back pocket.

Dropped passes weren't really an issue. The only ones were by Cobb and Boykin. And the only offensive penalty was Josh Sitton's false start.

As for Rodgers, well, at least he didn't turn the ball over. But nothing about his performance, in a venue where he had been so good so often, suggested anything more than mediocrity.

"I told the boys on the sidelines it was like when we were back in Jacksonville and we had a great defense and held Peyton (Manning) to 6 or 7 points," Mathis said. "It's not going to happen often, but playing great defense and assignment football and not giving up a big play, it can happen."

It's just that it's not supposed to happen against the Packers, at least the Packers as they've presented themselves during most of the McCarthy era.

"It's just not being productive at all, at any point in the game," said Nelson. "I don't know if it's frustrating; it's just a little surprising. Sometimes we've made it look easier than what it really is, and right now we're just not clicking across the board."

In a remarkable attempt to curb the Lions' rush, McCarthy ran the ball on the first four plays as well as on the first five first downs.

Off to an uneven start, Eddie Lacy fumbled on his second attempt and Carey ran it back 40 yards for a touchdown.

Just as the Lions turned aside the ground games of the Giants and Panthers, they contained the Packers even with untested Tahir Whitehead filling in for Tulloch.

They even recorded a safety when Richard Rodgers and T.J. Lang didn't get their blocks on Lacy's doomed attempt from the Green Bay 1.

Barring injury, the interior tandem of Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh will be penetrating thorns against any opponent. The two ends, Ziggy Ansah and Jason Jones, can stack and shed blocks, too.

Levy, the Milwaukee native, is becoming a great player.

"If you're able to stop the run, especially when you're playing against a power offense like this, it makes them one-dimensional," said Mathis. "We were able to do that with a seven-man front basically and sneaking a safety down there every now and then."

Actually, Matthew Stafford might have been under more duress than Rodgers since he was knocked down nine times (each was sacked twice) compared with three for his counterpart.

Julius Peppers beat third-stringer Garrett Reynolds for a strip-sack, and Stafford threw high on his two interceptions.

Other than that, Stafford escaped as well as Rodgers and threw more accurately and probably with more velocity.

Having crushed his NFC North brethren for years, McCarthy is an unsightly 1-3-1 in his last five division games. Now the Packers have games against Chicago and Minnesota in the next 11 days.

"These are the road games, the division games, the toughest games," McCarthy said in summation. "But we have no excuses, certainly (not) me."

As investment advisers often say, past success is no guarantee of future success. Just ask these aimless Packers about that.