(Photo: Action Network)
NFC Game Of The Week
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
Packers: I’m still trying to figure out exactly who they are. I knew Jordan Love wouldn’t have the season he did last year because there’s more tape on him these days and he’s been turning the ball over a little too much for my liking over the season. The more I watch this team, the happier I am with them signing Josh Jacobs and I understand why they decided to release Aaron Jones. Josh adds a physicality that this team has missed for years. Against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night, they were simply more man as they established the physical nature of the game in their favor to the point where the Dolphins couldn’t recover until later. Let’s look at the NFC in its entirety right now. The Detroit Lions are the best not just in the conference, but in the league and the Philadelphia Eagles are also rolling as winners of eight in a row, then you have the Minnesota Vikings with a 10-2 record. The Green Bay Packers are sitting behind all of them right now and as I type this, their three losses on the year have all come against everyone who is ahead of them in the conference. They surprised a few people last year and upset the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round of the playoffs becoming the first seven-seed to win a playoff game. Don’t be shocked if they go on another run this year come playoff time. Look at the standings in the NFC, I have them at third in the conference, even ahead of the Minnesota Vikings who beat them and have a 10-2 record, but I’m not sold on them as I’ve mentioned. For the second consecutive week, they are playing on Thursday night and they face a division rival to kick off week 14.
Lions: So much has happened since their last loss which came in September, week two to be exact against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Let’s rewind and go down the list. Baseball season ended, the playoffs and World Series took place, the NBA and college basketball returned and we even had something called an election. This football team has won ten games in a row and there have been some instances where they haven’t looked the greatest and the Sunday night game in Houston is a perfect example. Jared Goff threw five interceptions in that game and in football when you turn the ball over that much, you rarely come away with the win, but they found a way to survive, many of the good teams do. Even last Thursday, the Bears played them tough, and division games are always tough, but they pulled it out and also made Matt Eberflus reactivate is indeed profile. I’m so happy for this organization and its fans because I know what they went through back then to get to this point. When I watch this Lions offense, I’m often reminded of the Colts during the Peyton and Tony Dungy days. Those Colts had two quality receivers in Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, so did these Lions with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, the Colts had Dallas Clark, the Lions had Sam LaPorta and both teams ran the ball. There’s no weakness within this Detroit offense because they can hammer away at you with the running game which in turn opens their passing attack. This is the best I’ve ever seen Jared Goff look. If I were a free agent now and I wanted to play somewhere, I’m hoping either Mike Tomlin or Dan Campbell would consider me. Tonight, they welcome a division rival to town.
Packers X-Factor: Romeo Doubs– This is a young Green Bay receiving core that consists of Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, and Romeo Doubs. So many have doubted him and he’s emerged as another top target of Jordan Love’s. Romeo is explosive, quick, and athletic, and uses strides to free himself open. What I enjoy is he’s always moving and has his feet always working meaning wherever the Quarterback moves, he’s moving with him. Romeo is often targeted in the red area. The Lions pass defense has struggled at times this year and I can see the Packers taking advantage of that.
Lions X-Factor: Jahmyr Gibbs– He was special at Alabama and now, he’s a key piece of the puzzle for this Lions offense. One part of the best Running Back tandem in the NFL, Jahmyr is the speed guy, while David Montgomery is the back that gets you the hard-fought yards in between the tackles and in the red zone or any short yardage situation. One of the best aspects of his game is seeing defenders fly around when he makes contact as he isn’t afraid to run through someone.
Final Thoughts: These two played at the beginning of November and the Lions won at Lambeau on a rainy Sunday. That was also the first game the Lions played all year long outdoors and they handled their business as they have for most of this season. When they first met, Jordan Love was very hobbled and Jameson Williams was out and he is their best weapon against zone defenses which hampered the Lions’ offense. Now, these two meet up in a crucial game in the NFC to kick off week 14! The Packers’ run defense has been strong against inside runs and struggles against outside runs. The thing is, the Lions have been able to run the football on just about everyone this year and I don’t expect that to change tonight. Also, the Packers struggle with speed, this works perfectly in the Lions’ favor as they will have Jameson Williams back for this showdown. Even on their best weeks, the Packers haven’t always looked as if they were a 9-3 football team. What makes this Green Bay offense so successful is forcing defenses to miss tackles and chunk plays which Detroit is elite at defending. I like the Lions to keep rolling and win their 11th consecutive game.
Prediction: Lions 34, Packers 24
