Packer Central

‘Sunday Soaker’ With Rain Throughout Packers-Lions Showdown

Weather could be a huge factor when the Green Bay Packers host the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon.

Bill Huber

A statue of Curly Lambeau is seen through rain drops at Lambeau Field.
A statue of Curly Lambeau is seen through rain drops at Lambeau Field. / USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin-USA
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers will try to run, pass and paddle their way past the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

“Widespread rain” has already started in Green Bay, with a “soaking rain” expected in the afternoon for the big NFC North showdown, according to WBAY-TV’s Steve Beylon.

According to WBAY’s hourly forecast, it will be 52 degrees with an 83 percent chance of rain at 3 p.m. – about 25 minutes before kickoff. The rain chances increase to 98 percent at 4 p.m., 99 percent at 5 p.m. and 93 percent at 6 p.m.

Plus, there will be a southeast wind at about 15 mph.

For what it’s worth, the Packers practiced outdoors in the rain on Thursday. The Lions, meanwhile, have played exactly zero games outdoors this season. Their only grass game was at Arizona in Week 3.

Thursday’s practice was the first of the week for quarterback Jordan Love, who suffered a groin injury last week at Jacksonville. He will be back in the lineup against the Lions.

“That certainly could be the gameday conditions,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich after that practice. “I think for him, getting that confidence of going out there and just running around and throwing the ball and doing all that stuff, that’s the most important thing is that, just for him mentally getting ready to get himself in position to play.”

Tight end Tucker Kraft compared it to a Slip ‘N Slide.

“Getting a chance to play in the elements before it happens, you’re practicing catching a wet football, the center-quarterback exchange, the quarterback-to-running back exchange, and the rest down the line,” Kraft said.

“It was great to be able to go out and practice in the elements. I look forward to doing that even more at Lambeau, something it’s known for.”

Not that the Lions are going to self-destruct in the elements.

They have beaten the Packers at Lambeau in back-to-back seasons, including the 2022 finale, when it was 21 degrees with a wind chill of 12.

“I love the good throwback games. It’s good to get one every once in a while,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said this week.

He added: “I think we’re very comfortable playing in whatever the elements are, honestly.”

The equipment staff could be the MVP on Sunday. Even under the best of circumstances, Lambeau Field can get a bit slick as the season progresses, especially late in the afternoon and at night.

“I think it evens the playing ground across the board, really,” Campbell said. “It can neutralize rushers, it can neutralize speed, change of direction.

“But, at the end of the day, here’s what you do know: Whoever can get their feet in the ground and don’t slip, those are going to be your best players on Sunday in the elements. And we have some of those guys – a lot of them. So, we’re looking forward to it. Look, they play on that grass, they understand what it is, and it won’t be new to them, either, and they’ve got plenty of good players. So, I just think it’s great, it’s a throwback to football and it’s good.”

While the officials will do their best to keep the ball dry, intense showers are going to make the ball hard to throw and hard to catch. Thus, running the football could be especially important.

The Packers have a powerful back in Josh Jacobs, and the Lions have a top tandem with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Montgomery has been a stud at Lambeau Field. In Detroit’s 34-20 win last season, he carried 32 times for 121 yards and three touchdowns. With Chicago in 2022, he carried 15 times for 122 yards. With Chicago in 2020, he had 103 rushing yards, 143 total yards and one receiving touchdown.

“I think our run defense is definitely going in the right direction, and it’s going to have to this week,” Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said on Thursday. “That’s going to be the key to this game. It might be like today – another beautiful day; rainy, cool, a slick field. So, we’ve got to be on it in the run game.”

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.