DETROIT — For only the second time in his career, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers lost to the Detroit Lions, whose defense outscored Green Bay in a 19-7 victory at Ford Field. Ndamukong Suh had a simple explanation why Detroit made Green Bay’s powerful offense disappear on Sunday.

“Your front four has to dominate the line of scrimmage,” said Suh, the Lions’ premier defensive tackle. “That’s something we pride ourselves on. We’re always going to pride ourselves on that. We want to stop the run with the front four. That’s period, point blank, and then we’ll go from there.”

Lions’ defenders were beaming with pride after outscoring the Packers offense — 9-7 — on Sunday afternoon. The defense put up the first nine points and held the Packers to 223 total yards.

Defensive back Don Carey scored on a 40-yard fumble return in the first quarter and linebacker DeAndre Levy had a team-high nine tackles, one for a safety.

“Our defense did an outstanding job of getting off the field all day,” Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “Against that group that they were going up against, that was pretty awesome.”

Running back Reggie Bush had a 26-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter for Detroit (2-1), which bounced back from a loss at Carolina. Bush rushed for 61 yards on 12 carries and caught six passes for 38 yards one week after he was frustrated by having just seven total touches.

Stafford connected on 22 of 34 passes for 246 yards but committed three turnovers, including two interceptions.

“Every game is different,” Stafford said. “There are going to be times when our defense has issues and we’re going to be able to score a bunch of points and win a game. And there are going to be times like today where the offense was laboring to put points up and our defense is going to do a great job of getting off the field and holding them to seven. It’s complimentary football.”

Rodgers completed 16 of 27 passes 162 yards and a touchdown for Green Bay (1-2), but was under duress much of the game. His longest completion was 18 yards as the Packers scored their fewest points in a game that Rodgers started and was able to finish.

The Packers tried to establish the run early but went nowhere, gaining 76 yards on 22 carries.

“You get into a one-dimensional game and you’re playing uphill,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “Our ability to stay balanced, I thought, was the biggest obstacle that we encountered today.”

For the second straight week, an early fumble put the Packers in a hole. Running back Eddie Lacy had the ball stripped by defensive tackle Nick Fairley and Carey scooped up the ball at the Green Bay 40. Carey, who aggravated a hamstring injury during the half, eluded Rodgers inside the 10 and scored his first career touchdown.

Rodgers fumbled the first snap a week earlier, leading to a New York Jets touchdown.

“The fumble, there’s no excuse for that,” McCarthy said. “Two weeks in a row, we had a fumble on the first play and a fumble on the second play. That’s unacceptable.”

Rookie safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix’s first interception led to the Packers’ tying score later in the quarter. Rodgers found tight end Andrew Quarless over the middle on 3rd and 1 from the 10 to complete a 59-yard drive.

Stafford’s second interception inadvertently helped the Lions regain the lead. Stafford overthrew Johnson and cornerback Davon House intercepted at the 1. Lacy was tackled in the end zone by linebacker DeAndre Levy on the next play to give Detroit a 9-7 edge.

The Lions lost middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch on the previous possession to a left knee injury that occurred when Tulloch celebrated a sack of Rodgers.

Nate Freese’s 30-yard field goal made it 12-7.

The second half was scoreless until Bush scooted around the left side on a 3rd and 2 from the 26 with 10:40 remaining. Green Bay’s next drive stalled at the Lions’ 20. Rodgers threw an incompletion to receiver Jordy Nelson on fourth down.

What the Lions said:

“We talk about being mentally and physically tough and that was evident today. We weren’t at full strength in certain places and lost guys during the game and still found a way to win. That’s what it takes in this league.” — Quarterback Matthew Stafford

What we learned about the Lions:

1. Quarterback Matthew Stafford still can’t shake his habit of making turnovers and that could cost the club in the long run. Stafford threw two interceptions in Green Bay territory, including an overthrow intended for Calvin Johnson that was picked off at the 1-yard line. He also fumbled after a strip sack to end a long drive early in the second half. Turnovers were a major issue for Stafford in the team’s collapse during the second half of last season. “Obviously, you don’t want to turn the ball over,” he said. “We did that too many times tonight.”

2. The duo of defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley may be the league’s best when they’re motivated and focused. They consistently pushed the point of attack against the Packers, which stymied Green Bay’s rushing game and forced quarterback Aaron Rodgers to release the ball before his receivers could break free. Fairley, who has battled weight issues and was demoted to the second team during training camp, also forced a first-quarter fumble that resulted in a 40-yard touchdown. “Suh did a great job, Fairley was tough in there and the guys on the edge did a nice job as well putting pressure on them,” coach Jim Caldwell said.

–RB Reggie Bush scored the lone offensive touchdown for Detroit with a 26-yard run in the fourth quarter and had a solid all-around game. Bush gained 61 yards on 12 carries and also tied for the team high with six catches that gained another 38 yards. Bush only had seven touches at Carolina the previous week and the Lions made sure to get their top back more involved. “He came out with some fire and made all of his touches count,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said.

–LB DeAndre Levy was a force, making a team-high nine unassisted tackles. One of them resulted in a safety against Green Bay running back Eddie Lacy. Levy was also credited with two passes defended as he sometimes lined up in the slot to defend the Packers’ top receiver, Jordy Nelson. Levy has been playing a Pro Bowl level. “I just tried to give that extra effort,” he said.

–MLB Stephen Tulloch suffered a potentially season-ending injury on a freak occurrence. Tulloch’s left knee buckled while he was jumping up and down after making a sack against Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the first half. Tulloch is the team’s defensive play caller and the injury could be devastating in the long run. Travis Lewis is the next man on the depth chart. “Those things are flukes and our guys will keep being excited about what they do,” coach Jim Caldwell said.

What the Packers said:

“There’s a lot missing. There’s execution missing. We haven’t been able to run the ball very well any of the three games and we just haven’t executed as well as we have in the past in the passing game.” — Quarterback Aaron Rodgers

What we learned about the Packers:

1. The offensive line isn’t good enough to establish the rushing attack against a solid front four, even when the defense is daring the Packers to run. Green Bay tried to establish the run and that strategy blew up in their faces. The Lions forced an early fumble by top running back Eddie Lacy and continued to dominate up front throughout, holding the Packers to 76 yards. Without that balance, the Packers couldn’t make any stretch plays as Rodgers was sacked twice and forced to throw quickly most of the time. With a rookie at center in Corey Linsley and tackle Bryan Bulaga just returning from a knee injury, the Packers’ offensive line has yet to find any continuity and that has hampered Lacy.

2. The defense needs to do a better job on third down. It allowed the Lions to convert 61 percent of their third-down plays, which allowed Detroit to control the ball for over 38 minutes. The defense did make some plays, forcing three turnovers, but couldn’t get off the field in the second half as the Lions did not punt. “Time of possession got out of balance and I felt like we were worn down, particularly in the third quarter and into the fourth,” coach Mike McCarthy said.

–QB Aaron Rodgers had an unusually quiet outing, passing for just 162 yards and not having a completion of more than 18 yards. The Packers had their lowest point total in a game that Rodgers started and also finished since Rodgers became a starting quarterback. He misfired on a potential fourth-down touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson during the fourth quarter that could have gotten the Packers back in the game. “We haven’t been as sharp offensively,” Rodgers said. “I haven’t been as sharp. It may be the standard I’ve set but we’ve all got to do better.”

–TE Andrew Quarless caught four passes for 43 yards and scored the team’s only touchdown. Quarless was expected to lose playing time to rookie Richard Rodgers and Brandon Bostick but has reestablished himself in the passing attack. Quarless, who emerged after JerMichael Finley suffered a serious neck injury last season, had four catches in the first two games.

–LB Clay Matthews was unable to finish the game because of a groin injury. Matthews was credited with three tackles, two quarterback hurries and a pass defended. Mike Neal, Matthews’ backup, also made three tackles and recorded a sack. If Matthews is out for any length of time, it would significantly hamper the pass rush.