The Detroit Lions could really use a win on Thanksgiving this year.
Not only are the Lions (7-4) in a heavily contested NFC playoff race, the challenge to earn a third consecutive NFC North title isn’t looking easy.
But they can take a big step in both front by besting the Green Bay Packers (7-3-1) on Thursday after dropping the season-opener to the Packers at Lambeau Field.
The Lions know this team well and won’t be underestimating a roster that just about dominated them already, even if both teams have changed quite a lot since that Week 1 meeting.
Here’s a preview of the Lions’ Week 13 opponent, the Green Bay Packers:
Three players to know
The Lions were the unlucky team to draw Micah Parsons’ Packers debut and while he was limited in snaps during that first game, the edge rusher was still a major factor on the defense and has only grown more with his new team. Parsons is fifth in the NFL for sacks with 10 and third in total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Parsons is a true game wrecker and makes the rest of the defense better for how he forces offenses to block him.
After missing last week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, Packers running back Josh Jacobs is expected to return to face the Lions and he remains a problem. His numbers are a bit down as he’s averaging just 3.8 yards per carry and yet to rush for over 100 yards in a game, but it doesn’t keep Jacobs from impacting the success the team has. Jacobs runs with physicality and churns out key yardage. The seven-year NFL veteran is sixth in the league for running back success rate (47.34%) among backs with at least 100 rushes this season.
The Green Bay defense isn’t all about what Parsons does and second-year linebacker Edgerrin Cooper is proving a major contributor in keeping opposing offenses one dimensional. His production has gone down a bit since an impressive 12-tackle performance against the Lions in the opener, but he’s become more of an unsung force on the weak side of the field. Cooper is second on the team in defensive stops and has two forced fumbles to go with 78 total tackles. Cooper isn’t rushing the quarterback as often as he did last season — about 6% of snaps compared to 10% last season — but his impact is surely felt for the Packers.
Quarterback corner
There was quite a lot of hype behind Jordan Love going into the season and his first game of the season against the Lions was a strong start as he completed 72.7% of his passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.
Since, Love’s ability to take over a game hasn’t quite matched what the hope may have been, but he continues to play solid, winning football for Green Bay.
For the season, Love has thrown for 2,560 yards on 67.7% completion with 15 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
Some of his least-efficient games have popped up recently as he’s thrown under 60% twice in the past three weeks, but it hasn’t kept the Packers from winning games.
Despite a depleted receiving group, Love’s play hasn’t dipped much and he remains one of the most dangerous quarterbacks against the blitz. He burned the Lions a few times in their last matchup when the pressure came, keeping him in the pocket but not taking away his play-making ability.
Mistakes aren’t coming often from Love in the passing game and that might be one of his best attributes.
Keys to success
Avoiding turnovers: There might not be another team where turnovers are so immediately tied to their success. In games the Packers don’t turn the ball over, they’re 6-0, making them 1-3-1 in games where they do. Despite Love only throwing three interceptions this year, one of his major flaws is his team-leading five fumbles. Otherwise, the Packers take really good care of the ball with only seven total turnovers this season — the second-best mark in the NFL. The Packers have played in six one-score games and have rarely blown out teams this season, it makes for every possession being important and the ability to avoid turnovers incredibly important.
Get opposing teams away from the ground game: Leading early is always a good thing, but the Packers know how to really take advantage by forcing teams to pass more. Green Bay’s secondary doesn’t necessarily thrive in getting takeaways through the air — with just six picks this season — but they have great corners combined with a pass-rush that can overwhelm an offense. The more dropbacks they can force is often the better in terms of getting the quarterback to the ground and forcing teams to make dangerous throws into coverage.
One big question
Will Green Bay punish Detroit’s offense again?
There’s no getting around the face the Lions were dreadful on offense the first time around against the Packers.
If not for a wild one-handed touchdown grab from Isaac TeSlaa, the Lions would’ve scored six points in the entire game after averaging 2.1 yards per carry, getting penalized seven times and failing to make timely plays in a hostile environment.
Detroit’s offense has hardly remained consistent since then as there have been weeks it looked unstoppable and weeks it looked lost and ineffective.
Coach Dan Campbell has since taken over play-calling responsibilities from offensive coordinator John Morton and the Lions have been able to show flair with their weapons throughout the season.
The big question mark remains the same as after Week 1 — the offensive line.
Communication issues were the point of emphasis after that first loss as rookie Tate Ratledge and the new-look O-line were made to look silly and couldn’t help generate crucial offense.
The group has shown improvements throughout the year, despite losing left guard Christian Mahogany to injury and Kayode Awosika showing clear signs of growing pains in the longest run of play of his career.
But there are still moments the group can’t get on the same page and it leads to rushing lanes failing to open and Jared Goff to spend more time on the grass than anyone would like.
The Packers have plenty of playmakers that have shown they can take advantage of the Lions’ O-line if they’re not at their best. And if they can manage that again, it could be a long Thanksgiving at Ford Field.