Lions V Packers... The Showdown!

I was in 6th grade the last time the Lions won at Lambeau Field. The #1 song at the time was Black or White by Michael Jackson. Hook was #1 at the box office. George H. W. Bush had a little over a year left in his presidency. In other words, it was a while ago.

This one is for all the bananas. A tie or Detroit win will give them the NFC North and at least the #2 seed in the NFC with a 1st round bye. A loss and they are most likely playing the Cowboys in Dallas in the Wild Card round. I'd give Detroit decent odds to upset Dallas in round 1, but it's obviously better to have the bye and home field. Plus, there is a lot of organizational baggage the Lions could clear out should they beat Green Bay on the frozen tundra...

The line currently favors Green Bay by 8, which is fair. The Packers aren't the same team the Lions beat in September. The offense and the defense are both better. This Packers team beat New England, the team that gave the Lions their most one-sided loss this season. Aaron Rodgers is the favorite to win the NFL MVP this year, they have a 1,000-yard rusher in Eddie Lacy and two 1,000-yard receivers in Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Meanwhile, the Lions have only scored 24 points or better 5 times this year. Starting center Dominic Raiola is suspended, and while rookie backup Travis Swanson has gotten some PT this year, it was at guard.

So what do the Lions have going for them? Well, the one blip on Green Bay's resumé of late is their loss to Buffalo. The Bills, like the Lions, are a tough matchup for the Packers defensively. They have a good D line that pressures the QB. Detroit's corners aren't as good as Buffalo's, but Slay and Mathis aren't chopped liver either. Detroit is ranked 3rd against their opponent's #1 WR and 7th against their #2 WR. Glover Quin has 7 picks and will most likely represent the Lions in the Pro Bowl. Rodgers doesn't throw interceptions, especially at Lambeau, but the Lions have recorded at least 1 pick in the last 12 games since (dun dun DUNNNN) the last time they faced the Packers.

The Lions' running game has looked better and better every week. Joique Bell has posted 4.0 yards per carry or better the last 4 straight weeks, culminating at 5.7 YPC last week at Soldier Field. Reggie Bush had his best game of the season, posting a 7.7 YPC mark vs. Chicago as well, and GB's run defense is worse than Chicago's.  

Lastly, Aaron Rodgers has been limited in practice with a strained calf. This probably will have little impact on the game, but on the other hand... Rodgers is a pretty mobile QB. He's not Russell Wilson, but he extends plays with his feet and is a threat to run. He doesn't get sacked often, despite having a spotty O line, and he's run for 255 yards (7th among QBs). If he can't move so well on Sunday, the Lions are going to punish him. Rodgers could be in for some SERIOUS trouble if he can't push off and loses some velocity on his throws. This is all quite a stretch, however, since nobody in GB seems too concerned about the injury.

If the Lions can run the ball effectively and limit Rodgers on the other side, they've got a shot. If they don't and lose, hey, they're still in the playoffs, right?