PACKERVILLE, U.S.A.: November 2024

Two of NFC’s hottest teams face off as North-leading Lions visit Green Bay

The Associated Press

Detroit (6-1) at Green Bay (6-2)

Day/Time/TV: Sunday, 3:25 p.m. CDT, FOX.

Series record: Packers lead 106-76-7

Last meeting: Packers beat the Lions 29-22 in Detroit in a Thanksgiving Day game on Nov. 23, 2023.

Last week: Lions beat the Tennessee Titans 52-14 at home; Packers won 30-27 at Jacksonville

Lions offense: overall (6), rush (6), pass (11), scoring (1)

Packers offense: overall (5), rush (5), pass (9T), scoring (6)

Lions defense: overall (20), rush (5), pass (27), scoring (8)

Packers defense: overall (15), rush (10), pass (19), scoring (11T)

Turnover differential: Lions +10; Packers +7

The Detroit Lions have a big-time offense. The Green Bay Packers specialize in taking the ball away. The NFL’s highest-scoring offense and the league leader in takeaways will face off Sunday when the NFC North-leading Lions (6-1) visit the Packers (6-2). The game features the NFC’s two hottest teams, as the Lions have reeled off five consecutive victories while the Packers have won four straight. “It’s going to be a playoff-type game,” Packers running back Josh Jacobs said.

The Packers enter this game with an uncertain quarterback situation. Jordan Love left the Packers’ 30-27 victory at Jacksonville on Sunday in the third quarter with a groin strain and is listed as questionable for this game. He didn’t practice Wednesday but worked out on a limited basis Thursday and Friday. Backup quarterback Malik Willis has started two games in Love’s place this season, and the Packers won both games. He also threw a 51-yard completion to Jayden Reed in Jacksonville that led to Brandon McManus’ tiebreaking field goal as time expired. “I think we have a pretty good idea of what we’re going to get no matter who’s in there,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “And they’re both very good athletes. They both can run. They both can create issues in the pocket.”

Green Bay may need to score plenty to keep up with the Lions, who are averaging 33.4 points per game this season. They have averaged 43 points over their past four games. The Lions have been tough to slow down on offense because they are versatile, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is adept at making in-game changes. “Nobody corrects better than us,” tight end Sam LaPorta said Johnson tells the team. “Nobody adjusts better than us.”

Detroit’s high-scoring attack has the Lions off to their fastest start since 1956, when they won seven of their first eight games. That offense will have to be careful against the Packers, who have a league-high 19 takeaways. Green Bay’s Xavier McKinney has a league-leading six interceptions and seven total takeaways, as he also has recovered a fumble.

Turnover talk

Although the Packers have the most takeaways in the league, the Lions have the better turnover margin. Detroit’s plus-10 turnover differential puts the Lions in a tie for second in the league, behind only Buffalo’s plus-11. The Lions have committed just five turnovers this season, while the Packers have 12. Detroit’s Kerby Joseph has five interceptions to rank second in the league, behind only McKinney. Detroit’s Brian Branch is tied for third with four interceptions.

Secondary concerns

Green Bay’s secondary could be at less than full strength as it tries containing the Lions. Safety Evan Williams won’t play due to a hamstring injury. Cornerback Jaire Alexander, who hurt his knee late in the Jaguars game, didn’t practice all week and is listed as questionable. Detroit won’t have wide receiver Jameson Williams, who is completing his two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substance policy.

On the run

The Lions averaged 175.5 yards rushing in their two games against the Packers last season and are running effectively again with the tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Gibbs has rushed for 591 yards and six touchdowns, while Montgomery has run for 415 yards and seven touchdowns. Montgomery rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns to help the Lions win 34-20 in their previous trip to Green Bay. The Packers actually are gaining slightly more rushing yards per game than the Lions: 156.9-156.7. Jacobs has rushed for 667 yards to rank fourth in the league.

Stepping up

Detroit has several players on injured reserve and keeps winning. The Lions had two players filling in for defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and linebacker Derrick Barnes on a key play early in last week’s rout against Tennessee. Defensive end Levi Onwuzurike hit Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph as he passed, and linebacker Trevor Nowaske took advantage of the ill-advised throw with an interception. “They know that they’re not just there to be a placeholder,” Campbell said.

Clutch kickers

McManus has been with the Packers for just two games and has kicked a game-winning field goal in the final play of both. He made a 45-yarder as time expired in a 24-22 victory over the Houston Texans and had a tiebreaking 24-yarder to end the Jaguars game. Detroit’s Jake Bates is a perfect 11 of 11 on field-goal attempts this season. He’s 27 of 28 on extra points.

Lions player to watch

S Kerby Joseph. He has career-high five INTs after he had four in each of his first two seasons. Joseph, a third-round pick from Illinois, is the first Lion to have five INTs in the first seven games of a season since Hall of Famer Yale Lary in 1962. He has three INTs in three games against Green Bay.

Packers player to wat

S Xavier McKinney grabbed his NFL-leading sixth INT of the season against Jacksonville. He’s the first Packer ever to have six INTs in the first eight games of a season. McKinney also has recovered a fumble this year, giving him an NFL-leading seven total takeaways.

Key matchup

Lions RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery vs. Packers run defense: The Lions averaged 175.5 yards rushing in two games with the Packers last season. David Montgomery ran for 121 yards and three touchdowns to lead a 211-yard rushing attack in the Lions’ 34-20 victory at Green Bay. When the Packers won the rematch in Detroit, the Lions still ran for 140 yards on 31 attempts. Green Bay’s run defense has improved this year. But the Packers still have been vulnerable at times, allowing Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley, Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor, the Los Angeles Rams’ Kyren Williams and Houston’s Joe Mixon to surpass 100 yards.

Key injuries

Detroit LB Malcolm Rodriguez (ankle) left last week’s game and may be the only player whose status is in doubt Sunday… Packers QB Jordan Love’s status is uncertain after a strained groin caused him to leave the Jaguars game… The list of Packers who didn’t practice Wednesday because of injuries included Love, RB Josh Jacobs (ankle), CB Jaire Alexander (knee), LG Elgton Jenkins (glute), C Josh Myers (wrist), LT Rasheed Walker (knee) and S Evan Williams (hamstring).

Friday Injury Report:

DETROIT LIONS at GREEN BAY PACKERS — DETROIT: OUT: DT Brodric Martin (knee), DL Josh Paschal (illness), LB Malcolm Rodriguez (ankle). DOUBTFUL: RB Sione Vaki (knee), DL Mekhi Wingo (ankle). FULL: T Taylor Decker (chest), G Graham Glasgow (NIR/rest), QB Jared Goff (ankle), DL Levi Onwuzurike (NIR/rest), C Frank Ragnow (NIR/rest), DL D.J. Reader (NIR/rest), G Kevin Zeitler (NIR/rest). GREEN BAY: OUT: S Evan Williams (hamstring). DOUBTFUL: C/G Josh Myers (wrist), QUESTIONABLE: CB Jaire Alexander (knee), LIMITED: CB Corey Ballentine (ankle), DL Kenny Clark (toe/shoulder), RB Josh Jacobs (ankle), G/T Elgton Jenkins (glute), QB Jordan Love (groin), T Rasheed Walker (knee), DL Devonte Wyatt (ankle). FULL: LB Quay Walker (concussion).

Series notes

The Packers’ Thanksgiving Day victory at Detroit last season snapped the Lions’ four-game winning streak in this series. The Packers had beaten the Lions five straight times before that… The Lions have won in each of their past two visits to Lambeau Field. That included a 20-16 victory in the 2022 regular-season finale that prevented the Packers from reaching the playoffs and marked four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ final game with Green Bay.

Stats and stuff

The Lions are 6-1 for the first time since 1956, when they won seven of their first eight games… Detroit has won five games in a row for the first time since 2016 and is a victory away from its longest streak in a season since winning the last seven games of the 1995 season… The Lions have run for 100-plus yards and scored a rushing TD in each of the first seven games for the first time since 1936… Detroit has scored a franchise-record 162 points over a four-game span, the most by an NFL team since Baltimore had 172 points over four games in 2019… The Lions have 30-plus points with four TDs in four straight games for the first time since 1971… The Lions have more TDs on offense (24) than incompletions (19) in their past five games… Detroit’s 52 points last week trailed only the franchise-record 55 it scored against Chicago in 1997… The Lions tied a team record with six players scoring a TD against the Titans… etroit has won two games by 38-plus points for the first time in a season since 1936… The Lions have a takeaway in 11 straight games, going back to last season, and have an INT in their first seven games for the first time since 1981… If Goff throws for 2-plus TDs and has a passer rating of at least 110, he will join Patrick Mahomes (2018), Tom Brady (2010) and Aaron Rodgers (2011) as the four NFL QBs since 2000 to have those numbers in six straight games… The Packers have 1,255 yards rushing, their highest total through the first eight games of the season since 1971. Jacobs leads the way with 667 yards rushing, which ranks fourth in the NFL… When Love left the Jaguars game without having thrown a TD pass, it ended his string of nine straight games with multiple TD passes. That streak would have gone to 11 if playoff games were included… Packers TE Tucker Kraft has five TDs over his past five games… Packers K Brandon McManus has kicked a game-winning field goal in the final play of each of his two games since coming to Green Bay. He had a 45-yarder in a 24-22 victory over the Houston Texans and a 24-yarder against the Jaguars, his former team… The Packers have an NFL-leading 19 takeaways… According to Elias Sports Bureau, this marks the first time since a 10-3 Green Bay team faced a 12-1 Denver squad in Dec. 8, 1996, that Lambeau Field has hosted a game in the ninth week of the season or later matching two teams with a winning percentage of at least .750.