DETROIT -- They made it harder on themselves than they needed to, but the Green Bay Packers did the one thing they absolutely, positively had to do Sunday.

They survived.

OK, so it wasn't until Jon Kitna turned into, well, Jon Kitna that the Packers finally secured a 48-25 win over the Lions at Ford Field.

Kitna's natural hat trick -- throwing three interceptions on three straight late-game possessions -- was fitting for a team that calls Hockeytown USA home. But it mattered little to the Packers that they blew a 21-point lead and were forced to score the game's final 24 points just to beat the hapless Lions.

After what the Packers have been through, why should it bother them? Indeed, much has happened to Green Bay in the past two months, most of it capable of disrupting the focus of a young team trying to make a smooth handoff at the quarterback position.

The Brett Favre saga took up most of July, creating great uncertainty in the locker room. The strange exhibition schedule -- four games in 18 days -- cut deeply into practice time. A slew of injuries meant little or no action for six key veterans and kept both lines in a state of flux. Finally,

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the opener was against Minnesota, the team voted most likely to supplant Green Bay atop the NFC North Division, amid the glare of ESPN's "Monday Night Football."

Toss in the short week of practice leading up to the Lions game and it was one of the toughest stretches in team history. But the Packers not only survived that crucible, they emerged with a 2-0 record, a healthy roster and the confidence they're not going to go away just because Favre did. And they did it just in time for their game against NFC powerhouse Dallas on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

"I don't think anybody in the locker room's surprised," said quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who replaced Favre and sent a strong message in his first two starts that, if nothing else, he is impervious to pressure. "We believed in each other from the start. I think this summer's only made us stronger and our character stronger.

"It's been a big learning process for me personally and also a time for growth for everybody on our team. We're a young team ... but we have a swagger about us. We're confident in our abilities. We believe in each other. Our backs were against the wall today when they came back and took the lead. I'm proud of the way the guys responded."

The response hasn't been perfect so far. The Packers have struggled to run the ball and they allowed both opponents to rally from sizable deficits to throw a scare into them.

But they're leading the division and, for a change, they'll have a normal week of practice leading up to their showdown with the Cowboys.

"(It's) phenomenal, and it's going to get even better," wide receiver Greg Jennings said. "That's the exciting part. That's why we have to continue to work at it every week in practice. Because you can see what this can be."

It's easier to see that now than it was during the rocky times in July and August. Fortunately, the ones who counted -- the Packers -- never lost their focus.

That's why they survived.

Contact Tom Oates

at toates@madison.com

or 608-252-6172.