Pride of Detroit
Not everything needs a sequel, but the Detroit Lions are excited for their second battle with the Green Bay Packers. After getting boat raced in the season opener, losing 27-13, now the Packers come to Ford Field on Thanksgiving, where the Lions hope to serve up a victory for the fans on the holiday afternoon.
After starting 2-0 and being perceived as Super Bowl favorites, the Packers have taken a step back from being the top team in the league. They’re still one of the top teams in the NFC, but with some questionable performances, they aren’t as strong as they first appeared. Both of these teams need to win, as they’re behind the Chicago Bears in the NFC North race, and the winner can get a stronger grasp at trying to regain the lead.
Let’s take a look at the Packers in my Week 13 scouting report.
Week 1: Defeated the Detroit Lions 27-13
Week 2: Defeated the Washington Commanders 27-18
Week 3: Lost to the Cleveland Browns 13-10
Week 4: Tied the Dallas Cowboys 40-40
Week 5: BYE
Week 6: Defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 27-18
Week 7: Defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23
Week 8: Defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-25
Week 9: Lost to the Carolina Panthers 16-13
Week 10: Lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 10-7
Week 11: Defeated the New York Giants 27-20
Week 12: Defeated the Minnesota Vikings 23-6
Stats:
They say Week 1 is a mirage and that statement has been wishy washy this season. There have been some surprises since what’s happened in Week 1, but the league is somewhat sticking to what went down back in September. A big talking point after Week 1 was how the Packers looked like a Super Bowl contender with how they dismantled the Lions. Since then, they’ve been brought down to earth a bit and while still in the playoff discussion, aren’t as dominant as people thought.
Quarterback Jordan Love has thrown for 2,560 yards (11th) and has 15 passing touchdowns (16th) but he’s not been able to come up big this season when the team’s needed him the most. After starting out strong, his last three games have been forgettable, averaging a 58.8 completion percentage, 163 yards, and not even a touchdown per game at 0.6. He’s not turning the football over, with only three interceptions on the year, and maybe his newest injury his hindering him, but he certainly isn’t winning this team any football games lately.
The running game the past three weeks has had to do some of the heavy lifting, as running back Josh Jacobs found the end zone against the Eagles with rushing 74 yards, but only got...
