DETROIT -- Some thought the Lions had a real chance to turn the corner.

In fact, many hoped their miracle victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday would have provided a springboard to both more wins and quality football. Enter Thanksgiving Day.

The thought was the Browns game would mean a lot more if the Lions could back it up with a win over the Green Bay Packers before a sellout crowd of 57,383 at Ford Field. It didn't happen.

Instead, the Lions' no-time-left-on-the-clock victory four days ago didn't matter at all. The Lions are still bad and can't beat a good football team.

The Packers had an easy time in scoring a 34-12 victory over the Lions. Don't let the final score fool you. The Packers (7-4) stopped themselves with dumb penalties and bad play-calling more than the Lions did.

The Lions (2-9) have now lost six straight Thanksgiving Day games, a new team record.

The only thing worse than the new streak was the play of rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Those who believed that Stafford had arrived to All-Pro status with his five touchdown performance vs. the Browns -- including the game-winner with no time left after getting his left shoulder separated -- had to be disappointed.

Stafford, still recovering from his injury, was ineffective. He had four interceptions, including one run back for a touchdown by Packers' cornerback Charles Woodson. Stafford easily could have had another one. He just never seemed to get in any kind of flow. And the offense suffered.

"Obviously, it's tough, I don't want to play like this, turn the ball over as much as I did,'' Stafford said after the debacle.

The Lions' lone touchdown came on a fumble recovery on the opening kickoff at the Packers' 20-yard line. It set Stafford up to hit Calvin Johnson with a one-yard TD strike, giving the Lions a 7-0 advantage less than two minutes into the game.

"It's a different feeling in this locker room,'' Lions' center Dominic Raiola said. "It's disappoint, especially a nationally televised game, to come out like that. "We came out strong but never took advantage of anything they did.''

You have to hope that Stafford played on Thursday because he was healthy enough to play and not because the Lions were trying to show off their rookie QB, the overall No. 1 pick in the last draft, on the national TV stage.

Sadly, you get the idea that it was, indeed, the thinking. Nobody thought Stafford was going to play after he didn't practice at all leading up to the game. "I felt like I could play and try to help us win,'' Stafford said.

Nonetheless, it appeared that Stafford's start even surprised backup QB Daunte Culpepper as well. He was caught on camera arguing with general manager Martin Mayhew before the game.

It appeared as if he thought he was starting until the last second when the Lions decided to go with Stafford. Johnson, who was also banged up, started as well.

"They're tough kids,'' Raiola said. They really want to be out here. That's the other guys on the field jobs to step up around them and show them more support.''

In the second quarter, the Lions had just 31 yards of offense. Stafford was asked not practicing and a lack of preparation a factor at all, "I don't think so,'' he said. "I really don't.''

The defense is still a problem. It continues to give up big plays. On a third and 11 play in the first quarter, Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers hooked up with Donald Driver on a 68-yard gain. "We give up a huge play in a two-deep coverage,'' Lions coach Jim Schwartz said.

"It wasn't a missed assignment; it was a physical error. We battled them here and there, holding them to field goals. But we just weren't able to score enough.''

The Lions have to be able to play a complete game and beat a good team before people will believe anything is changing around here. Their two victories this season have come against horrible teams in Washington and Cleveland. For an organization that went winless last season, that's not enough progress.

Stafford, who has 18 interceptions this season, has to play better and be held accountable. He doesn't take care of the football like he should. Two weeks in Seattle, Stafford threw five interceptions. He added four more here.

"I look at it as a positive that he was able to come back so quickly and was so willing to do it,'' Schwartz said. "I don't look at it as a negative at all.''

Losing to another good team is, however.