GREEN BAY, Wis. -- A few thoughts on the Green Bay Packers' 22-9 victory over the Detroit Lions.

What it means: The Packers caught a major break not having to face Lions receiver Calvin Johnson, who was inactive because of a knee injury. It would have been interesting to see what kind of game it would have been if Johnson had played. But without him, the Lions were punchless on offense -- not that the Packers were overly impressive in their inability to finish drives with touchdowns. But Green Bay made enough big plays -- a 61-yard run by Randall Cobb and an 83-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to James Jones -- to secure a much-needed victory coming out of their bye week. In improving to 2-2, they got themselves right back into the thick of the NFC North, just one-half game behind the Lions and Chicago Bears, both 3-2.

Stock watch: Mason Crosby’s struggles from last season appear to be well behind him. The Packers' kicker, who made an NFL-low 63.6 percent of his field goals in 2012, converted five field goals against the Lions, including a season-long 52-yarder, and improved to 9-for-9 on the season. Dating back to last season and including this preseason, he has 21 straight field goals.

23 and counting: The story of the Packers’ long home winning streak over the Lions will live for another year. It was their 23rd straight victory (including playoffs) over the Lions in the state of Wisconsin, including games at Lambeau Field and Milwaukee County Stadium. The 22 straight regular-season home wins over the Lions is the longest home winning streak over one team in NFL history.

What’s next: The Packers play the second of their four games against the AFC North next Sunday, when they are on the road to face the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens at 1 p.m. ET. The Packers are 0-1 against the AFC North this season, having lost at the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3.