Jordan Love connected with Christian Watson on two of his three touchdown passes, and the resurgent Green Bay Packers won their third straight game 27-19 over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night at Lambeau Field.

The Packers scored touchdowns on three of their first four drives and never trailed, with their defense making two big stops in the last 5 1/2 minutes. They knocked down Mahomes’ pass into the end zone on the final play.

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The Packers (6-6) improved their December record to 16-0 under coach Matt LaFleur. The only team to win more consecutive December games was the San Diego Chargers with 18 straight from 2006-09.

Love went 25 of 36 for 267 yards. Tight end Ben Sims had a 1-yard catch for his first career touchdown, and Love added TD passes of 9 and 12 yards to Watson.

Mahomes was 21 of 31 for 210 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception for the Super Bowl champion Chiefs (8-4), who lost in front of pop superstar Taylor Swift for the first time. They had won the previous four games Swift had attended since beginning her relationship with tight end Travis Kelce.

The Chiefs still lead the AFC West but fell behind three other teams for the top seed in the conference.

Isiah Pacheco rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown before getting ejected for punching Keisean Nixon during a scuffle on the final series. Noah Gray had a 2-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter that got the Chiefs within two.

Mahomes had a couple of late chances to tie the game or take the lead.

The Chiefs had a first down just beyond midfield when Nixon picked off Mahomes’ pass intended for Skyy Moore with 5:14 left. The turnover set up a 48-yard field goal by Anders Carlson that made it 27-19.

The Chiefs got the ball back at their 30 with 1:09 left and no timeouts remaining.

Mahomes had a 10-yard run and got hit by Jonathan Owens while going out of bounds, leading to a personal foul that put the ball at the Packers 45. Rashee Rice then appeared to fumble, with the Packers’ Corey Ballentine returning it for a game-clinching touchdown, but replays showed Rice was down before the ball came loose.

The Chiefs couldn’t capitalize.

They argued in vain for a pass interference call on a long incompletion to Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the final minute. They had the ball at the Packers 33 on the final play, when Mahomes threw into a crowd, and there was plenty of contact before the ball fell to the ground.

Chiefs: LB Drue Tranquill left with a concussion in the first quarter. S Bryan Cook was carted off with an ankle injury in the third quarter. RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) didn’t play.

Packers: Watson injured his hamstring while running for a first down late in the fourth quarter. CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder) missed a fourth consecutive game. RB Aaron Jones (knee) and TE Josiah Deguara (hip) were out for a second straight game.

Chiefs: Host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Packers: At the New York Giants on Monday, Dec. 11.

For a rookie tight end from a college program not known for its offensive prowess, Sam LaPorta has been a quick study in the NFL and is playing a prominent role in what could be a special season for the Detroit Lions.

LaPorta had career highs of nine catches for 140 yards, including an early touchdown and a crucial first-down snag in the final minutes, and the Lions defeated the reeling Saints 33-28 on Sunday in New Orleans to post their best record through 12 games since 1962.

“I’m as comfortable with him as anyone I’ve ever played with,” Lions quarterback Jared Goff said of LaPorta, a second-round draft choice out of Iowa. “For a rookie, it’s pretty tremendous. He’s such a reliable guy and a guy I count on in those crunch times. I know he’s a clutch player.”

The Saints lost quarterback Derek Carr in the fourth quarter to back, shoulder and head injuries after he was hit by defensive lineman Bruce Irvin as he released a pass. Irvin was penalized for driving the weight of his body into Carr as they hit the turf.

Jameis Winston replaced Carr, who has left three games this season with upper-body injuries or concussion symptoms.

“Any time you have a concussion, it’s concerning,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said, adding that he also was concerned about Carr’s back and shoulder.

Goff passed for 213 yards and two touchdowns for the NFC North-leading Lions (9-3), who raced to a three-touchdown lead and then held off the Saints’ comeback bid that featured Chris Olave’s five catches for 119 yards. The Saints (5-7) fell one game behind the first-place Atlanta Falcons in the league’s weakest division, the NFC South.

After falling behind 21-0 in the first seven minutes, the Saints pulled as close as 24-21 in the third quarter. They had the ball at midfield with a chance to take the lead in the final three minutes but turned the ball over on downs when Winston threw behind Olave.

The Lions ran out the clock from there, thanks to first-down catches by LaPorta and Josh Reynolds.

“We knew when we went back out there we wanted to finish with the ball in our hands,” LaPorta said. “We converted those two third downs, and it was a good way to end the game.”

Only six rookie tight ends have had 140 receiving yards and a touchdown in a game — none since the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Pete Mitchell in 1995.

Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu said the 6-foot-3, 245-pound LaPorta “had two of the more clutch plays in this game.”

“There was a few third downs in there where we had everybody covered, and you just put the ball on his body and now it’s first down,” Mathieu said. “Just crafty for a rookie — the kinds of routes he runs, his frame, his length.”

The Saints committed two turnovers and the Lions converted both into touchdowns.

Carr was intercepted on the Saints’ first offensive play. He also lost a fumble in the fourth quarter when left guard James Hurst inadvertently knocked the ball from Carr’s hands as the quarterback turned for a pitch play from the Saints 25.

Tracy Walker recovered Carr’s fumble, setting up Jameson Williams’ 19-yard touchdown on a reverse to make it 33-21.

The Saints got back within one score with 7:30 left when Alvin Kamara, who had 109 yards and two touchdowns from scrimmage, scored his 53rd career rushing touchdown to set a franchise mark.

The Lions tied a franchise record with 21 first-quarter points.

David Montgomery’s short run made it 7-0, capping a drive highlighted by Jahmyr Gibbs’ 32-yard run to the 2.

Next came Lions defensive back Brian Branch’s interception of a pass tipped by tight end Juwan Johnson, setting up Goff’s 13-yard scoring pass to LaPorta.

Goff’s 29-yard completion to LaPorta set up a 25-yard scoring strike to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who passed Calvin Johnson for most receiving yards by a Lion in his first three seasons.

Lions fans traveled en masse to see their team post its best record through 12 games in six decades. Detroit started 10-2 in 1962.

The “Honolulu blue” of the Lions color scheme was prevalent across the Superdome, and there were moments when chants of “Lets go, Lions!” reverberated throughout the stadium.

The game was delayed in the first half when Kamara was tackled into the legs of a member of the chain crew. The injured official was carted away and the crew operated with one fewer person from then on.

Lions: C Frank Ragnow left in the first half with a knee injury. DT Alim McNeill also appeared hurt after a play in the third quarter, but was able to jog to the sideline.

Saints: DT Malcolm Roach was treated for a right leg injury in the fourth quarter and wore a knee brace after the game.

Lions: Visit the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Saints: Host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.