The Detroit Lions will know if they need to beat the Green Bay Packers to get into the playoffs by the time they kick off. I suspect, and head coach Dan Campbell has confirmed, that the Lions will be going for victory even if doesn’t help extend their season.
The Lions already beat the Packers once and would happily take that result again. The Packers and Lions both look like better teams than when they played the first time around. If the Lions hope to sweep their division rival, here is how they need to do it.
Detroit Lions keys to victory
Stop the run
This is a common theme in these weekly articles, and for good reason.
Green Bay comes into this game with one of the best running back groups in the NFL. Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon make a terrific combination of speed and power that can give NFL defenses fits.
The Packers as a team are top 10 in the NFL in yards per carry and the Lions are one of the worst teams in the NFL at stopping the run. That doesn’t sound like a great recipe for success, however, the Lions faced the No. 1 team in yards per rush last week in the Chicago Bears and absolutely demolished them. Even though the Lions didn’t “stop the run” against the Bears they were able to limit the number of times the Bears went to the ground game because they were able to accomplish our second key…
Sack the Pack
The Lions had seven sacks against the Bears last week. That’s an incredible number against a quarterback who can move like Justin Fields can. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is like the Statue of Immunized Liberty compared to Fields. If Aidan Hutchinson, James Houston, and the rest of the Lions’ defense are able to barrel down on and hit Rodgers, it will be a very long day for the cheeseheads. Speaking of that weirdo Aaron Rodgers, let’s look at key number three…
Let Rodgers’ hubris get the best of him
The only thing Aaron Rodgers wants worse than to win is to be the reason he wins. He didn’t sign a contract that pays him over $100 million this year and next combined to not throw the ball. The truth is the Packers could probably control the game if they left it in the hands of Jones and Dillon but Rodgers just won’t let that happen. Not in a winner takes all game. Not in Lambeau Field. And not on Sunday Night Football. It’s the perfect storm for the Lions. Rodgers is an all-time great but he stubbornly refused to work with his new receivers this offseason and the offense has struggled because of it.
Rodgers is 39 and having arguably the worst season of his career. The best course of action for the Lions is to force Rodgers to beat them because I just don’t think he can anymore.
Those are the keys to a Detroit Lions victory. Go Lions. Go Rams.
