Getty Aaron Rodgers takes on the Lions.
The Detroit Lions are on an elongated losing streak, and the Green Bay Packers are fresh off a win which clinched them another NFC North title.
This week, the two teams meet and are heading in very different directions, with the Lions interested more in draft positioning than playoff seeding. The hot play by Green Bay and the miserable play by Detroit has meant that the line for the season finale at Ford Field has gotten quite bloated. According to Vegas Insider, the Packers opened as 10.5 point favorites, and the line is currently favoring Green Bay by 10 for the game.
The good news? It’s a home game, Detroit has had a few weeks to prepare and the Lions have measured up decently against Green Bay lately. Prior to this October’s disappointment, Detroit had gone two full seasons without sustaining a loss to the Packers, which is quite an accomplishment when you consider the series history of the teams. Green Bay has a 101-72-7 advantage. That hardly seemed to matter after Detroit had won four straight and had become quite comfortable winning at Lambeau Field.
In fact, the number of days since the Packers beat the Lions had only been growing exponentially prior to the early season loss. It had made it up over 1,000. Arguably, it’s the best Lions fans have been able to feel about this particular rivalry even in a loss.
The last time Green Bay beat Detroit prior to October? January 1, 2017 in a game that denied the Lions the ability to win the NFC North. It was a close 31-24 loss for the Lions, but little did fans know their pain from that night would be washed away completely in the following two seasons.
Lions Statistical Domination vs. Packers
In recent games against the Packers, the Lions have been able to overwhelm the opposition. They had outscored the Packers 127-51 prior to the loss, and have pounded Aaron Rodgers into submission. The Lions knocked Rodgers from the last game the sides played in 2018 and injured him. Detroit has also gotten solid play from Stafford in these games. In his last two against Green Bay, the quarterback has tossed 4 touchdowns.
Beating a team such as the Packers consistently starts with the ability to get good quarterback play and the Lions have seen that from Stafford as they have managed to overwhelm the Packers. They’ve forced turnovers, and have overwhelmed Green Bay to be a +6 in the turnover margin in these four contests.
Simply put, the Packers hadn’t given the Lions so much as a game since 2017 prior to this year in October. Obviously, the Lions will have to find a way to get back to these basics in the season finale.
Why Lions Lost to Packers in October
During the October game, Detroit struggled to score despite a lighting quick start against the Packers and couldn’t muster nearly enough offense to get the job done.
Detroit managed to be doomed by a couple close calls, but mostly, they were doomed by their own inability to execute and get over the top in the moment. That has been a big problem most of the way in 2019 for the team.
In order to win this game, they will have to play much better. Many don’t see them being able to compete when all is said and done.
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