With playoff hopes still on the line, the Detroit Lions will take on the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday Night Football to close out the regular season.
The Lions’ postseason fate will be decided before their game kicks off, but this matchup is a must-win regardless of how the Rams/Seahawks game goes.
This game is sure to be an entertaining one, so here are four very bold predictions for how things will go on Sunday Night Football:
Jameson Williams gets more involved
The first-round draft pick has not been having the successes that many expected him to have in his first few games. Williams has one reception for 41 yards and a touchdown as well as a 40-yard carry. He has been targeted seven other times, one of which was dropped while the others were inaccurate passes.
What makes things different this time around?
The last time the Lions faced the Packers, Williams was not on the active roster. Detroit’s receiving corps was made up of starter Amon-Ra St. Brown, backup Kalif Raymond, and practice squad receivers Tom Kennedy, Stanley Berryhill, and Shane Zylstra.
With Williams now in the lineup and Josh Reynolds and DJ Chark healthy, Green Bay’s secondary has a lot more to worry about. Their focus will likely be on playmaker St. Brown and deep-threat Chark, leaving Williams to get more involved on offense.
Lions lose the turnover battle, Goff throws two picks
Jared Goff has not turned over the ball since his last time facing Green Bay, so it’s only fitting he does it again this time around.
As mentioned earlier, Goff has more weapons in his arsenal on offense than he did in the previous game against the Packers. This could mean he will be throwing the ball more than he did before, increasing the odds of an interception happening at some point in this game.
The Packers as an offense have also been good at not giving away anything to opposing defenses. It seems likely that Detroit does not come away with more turnovers than Green Bay.
DeShon Elliott picks off Aaron Rodgers
It would be poetic justice for safety DeShon Elliott to catch an interception from Aaron Rodgers after being very vocal about the Packers quarterback’s comments about the Lions.
Rodgers hasn’t been too prone to throw to opposing defenders, but Elliott seems determined to make the veteran quarterback eat his words for speaking ill about this Lions defense.
Lions win 41-31
This will be a high-scoring game between two of the league’s hottest offenses. The Lions have so much more to play for in this situation and it seems like the kind of game we’ve been waiting to see from Dan Campbell.
It will be a very hard-fought matchup as these divisional rivals go head-to-head on Sunday night. Expect some big plays on offense from both of these teams.