The Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers will kick off the NFL's Thanksgiving triple-header by renewing NFC North hostilities at Ford Field.
Green Bay dominated the first game between these two teams in a 27-6 rout to open the season at Lambeau Field and Dan Campbell's team is seeking revenge. There's a ton on the line as Green Bay enters the contest with a 7-3-1 record and Detroit carries a 7-4 mark. Both are looking up at the 8-3 Chicago Bears in the division. But considering the tough path that lies ahead for Ben Johnson's club—and the numerous close calls they've survived to this point—it's reasonable to think that whichever club emerges victorious on Turkey Day will end up ascending to the top by season's end.
At the very least, the result will have a significant impact on both teams' prospects of contending for the division or a wild-card spot.
How Green Bay and Detroit stack up
Since authoring a statement win in Week 1, the Packers have dealt with some unsteadiness. They followed up that victory with one over the Washington Commanders, then piloted by a healthy Jayden Daniels. Then they dropped a surprising one on the road to the Cleveland Browns before playing the Dallas Cowboys to an epic 40-40 tie. They then ripped off four straight wins before back-to-back home losses to the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles. Jordan Love and Co. have since righted the ship with wins over the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings.
The Lions responded to their initial stumble by posting four straight wins, including a 52-21 throttling of the Bears and a 38-30 shootout in Baltimore against the Ravens. A primetime showdown against the Chiefs in Kansas City ended up in a 30-17 setback. Since then they have traded wins and losses with the triumphs coming over the Commanders and Giants and the defeats coming at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings and Eagles.
Current NFC North standings
Current NFL playoff picture - NFC
Here's where things stand going into this week's games. The top seven teams would be in:
What a win means for the Packers
If Green Bay prevails they will clinch the tiebreaker over Detroit by virtue of winning both their games this season. With Chicago facing a difficult road test against the Eagles on Friday, there's a decent chance they could find themselves in first place by the weekend. The Packers and Bears play twice down the stretch. A win also keeps Green Bay in the No. 6 spot if the Seattle Seahawks defeat the Vikings and moves them up to fifth should the Vikings and Bears both win.
What a win means for the Lions
Detroit winning would even the season's ledger with Green Bay and also put them in position to catch the Bears atop the division. They currently hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their early-season blowout and will play at Chicago in Week 18. A win would also move them into the current wild-card holders, jumping the Packers and potentially the Niners if they stumble against in Cleveland against the Browns.
Packers remaining schedule
Lions remaining schedule
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Lions vs. Packers Impacts NFL Playoff Picture, NFC North Standings.
