The Green Bay Packers fell behind 17-3 after a pick-six from Kerby Joseph before the half, were down 24-3 early in the second half and eventually lost 24-14 to the Detroit Lions at a rain-soaked Lambeau Field on Nov. 3 — a defeat that dropped Matt LaFleur’s team to 6-3 going into the bye week.
The Packers and Lions will do the rematch on Thursday night at Ford Field. Since Nov. 3, the Packers have won three straight games to get to 9-3, while the Lions have continued their now 10-game win streak and are 11-1.
The pivotal showdown is the Packers’ last hope for making a run at the NFC North title and a big chance for LaFleur’s team to prove they are one of the true Super Bowl contenders.
So, what has changed for these two teams since early November?
Packers Wire and Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire provided their breakdown:
Packers Wire
The Packers are playing some of their best football of the year, especially over the last two games. Jordan Love has back-to-back games without a turnover, Josh Jacobs has back-to-back games breaking 12 or more tackles, the offense is finally converting red-zone trips into touchdowns and the defense has held back-to-back teams under 50 yards rushing and is tackling well at every level. Even the special teams has been a positive — a recovered fumble off a punt set up a touchdown last week. It’s possible the Packers will get back cornerback Jaire Alexander for Thursday night, too. Although the Packers needed something close to a miracle to escape Chicago with a win a couple weeks ago, the Lions know a little something about miracle escapes against the Bears. More than anything, the Packers are playing a much more physical brand of football as of late. Also, Love looks completely recovered from knee and groin injuries, which limited his mobility in the first meeting. The Packers are healthy and improving, although playing a third game in 12 days will test their mental and physical toughness. — Zach Kruse
Lions Wire
The Lions keep adding injuries on defense, but they keep acclimating to the adversity. Za’Darius Smith has been outstanding since joining the Lions, creating a lot of pressure and bringing infectious energy. The defensive interior, Alim McNeill and DJ Reader, have collectively taken a step up. Reader just had his first 2-sack game since 2018, while McNeill continues to play at a Pro Bowl-worthy level. Injury fill-ins like Al-Quadin Muhammad, Ezekiel Turner and David Long have proven capable. The Lions offense has cooled a bit, with some of that owing to injuries to Taylor Decker at left tackle. Jared Goff remains very sharp, and Tim Patrick has become more integral to the passing offense. Blitzing Goff is asking for him to show why he’s an MVP candidate, but defenses that can create pressure with rushing only four have been thorny for Ben Johnson’s creative scheme. That showed against the Colts and Bears, and the pass protection hasn’t been up to earlier standards–including All-Pro Penei Sewell at right tackle. The Lions aren’t getting as many explosive plays from the passing game, but the 1-2 rushing attack of Sonic and Knuckles, aka Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, is still consistently gashing opposing defenses. — Jeff Risdon
