Insider Perspective on Packers-Lions Showdown

The Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions will battle for first place in the NFC North on Sunday. We go behind enemy lines to get insight on Jared Goff and two potential Lions weaknesses.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) gets a pass away while under pressure against the Green Bay Packers' Kenny Clark. / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have won four in a row. The Detroit Lions win five in a row. If the Packers win, they’ll take first place in the NFC North. If the Lions win, they’ll take a commanding lead over Green Bay in the division.

John Maakaron from Detroit Lions on SI provided his insight on the big game in this Q&A.

1. Jared Goff’s 13 incomplete passes and 10 touchdown passes the last four games is something straight out of Madden. Why is the passing game so efficient?

It’s a mixture of scheme and Goff performing at an extremely high level. He has been otherworldly over the team’s winning streak, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson continues to find ways for the offense to succeed at a high rate.

Having a run game like the Lions do doesn’t hurt, either, as it has allowed them to open up the play-action pass game, as well. 

Goff on play-action passes ranks No. 1 incompletion percentage (80.3), yards (833), yards per attempt (11.7) and passer rating (133.2), according to Pro Football Focus. Goff has been good in every scheme but his completion percentage is plus-9.9 on play-action opportunities.  

2. The Titans sacked Goff four times last week, which was rather astounding considering the perceived power of the line and that Goff barely had to throw the ball because the game was so lopsided. What were the issues and is that a real concern?

Any time you give up four sacks in a game, it’s a reasonable concern. It was surprising given how good the Lions’ o-line has been all year, but it has been an outlier in an otherwise solid campaign.

Left tackle Taylor Decker has had low moments in recent weeks, which has been cause for concern. PFF has charged him with five sacks – one in five games, including against the Vikings and Titans the last two weeks. Left guard Graham Glasgow has allowed a sack in two of the last three games.

Credit is owed to the Titans for their rush stunts that kept the Lions’ line off-balance. How they perform against the Packers could dictate whether the issues are a one-off situation or have the makings of a problem. 

3. Without defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, the pass rush predictably has suffered. Is that a major weakness worth considering if the Packers decide to start a hobbled Jordan Love, which appears to be the case?

The Lions’ defensive line has had just one sack in parts of three games since Hutchinson’s injury. While they have been able to get pressure at times, they don’t have the production as far as sacks are concerned. It’s pretty amazing that Hutchinson entered Week 9 ranked third with 7.5 sacks and first with 17 quarterback hits despite missing the last two-and-a-half games.

As a result, the calls are getting louder for the team to make a move for a pass rusher. Former Packers star Za’Darius Smith is one potential candidate.

Until they do make a move, however, they have only what is on the roster. If Love plays hurt, it could make efforts easier, but they didn’t have much success in the way of sacks against the Titans’ Mason Rudolph last week, either. Look for defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to continue scheming up unique ways to generate pressure. 

4. If you look at yards allowed per carry, Detroit’s run defense is a bit soft. But those are just numbers. Then again, when I asked Matt LaFleur on Thursday, he said, ““When they load the box and play you in tight man coverage like they’ve shown to do, there’s nowhere to run.” What do you see from that phase and how do they match up against Josh Jacobs?

After a strong start to the year in this area, teams have begun to have more success against them on the ground. They gave up 133 rushing yards and 7.0 yards per carry vs. Seattle in Week 4 and 139 yards and a 6.6 average vs. Minnesota in Week 7.

But the Lions’ defense has been very much bend, don’t break. The Titans ran for 158 yards with a 4.9-yard average last week and lost by 38 points.

Jacobs presents yet another challenge, and the Lions will have to be ready for it. The defensive line has plenty of solid pieces, but they have struggled at times to slow down opposing backs. Jacobs may be the biggest threat they’ve faced this year, and as a result a strong effort will be needed. 

5. You’ve got to bet a dollar. Who wins and why?

In this battle for first place, I’m expecting a close battle. The Packers are 10th in the league in run defense, giving up 110 yards per game on average. With how well Detroit has run the ball, this could be the difference in the game.

Ultimately, the Lions will showcase their ability to run at a high level and, as a result, open up the rest of the offense to prevail in a one-score game. 

More Green Bay Packers News 

The #Packers' pass rush, which has run hot and cold, must catch fire against the Lions' standout offensive line on Sunday. ⬇️https://t.co/0rnsGnBP2p

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) November 1, 2024

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