The Lions staved off one massive NFC North rival two weeks ago.
Can they do it again Sunday when they play at Green Bay?
The 6-1 Lions, who beat the then-undefeated Vikings, 31-29, two games ago, enter the game having won their past five games. This is the Lions’ fastest start since 1956, when they won seven of their first eight.
The 6-2 Packers are riding a four-game winning streak.
The stage for great theater is set at Lambeau Field.
“It’s going to be a playoff-type game,” Packers running back Josh Jacobs said this week.
The best statistical element to this clash will be the Lions’ NFL-leading scoring offense against a Packers defense that leads the NFL in takeaways.
The most pressing issue for the Packers is at quarterback, where starter Jordan Love has been questionable all week with the groin strain he suffered in the second half of last week’s win over the Jaguars. Love told reporters late in the week that there was a “realistic’’ chance he would play against the Lions, though he didn’t practice Wednesday and worked on a limited basis Thursday.
“We’ll monitor it, but big division game coming up, so I’m going to do all I can try and get back to work,’’ Love told reporters. “It’s definitely frustrating. You wish you can just go through a season and be healthy, bounce back every week, but things pop up. Definitely is not the ideal scenario for going into a big week.”
If Love is unable to play or compromised by the injury, his backup is Malik Willis, who has already started two games in Love’s place this season. The Packers won both games.
“I think we have a pretty good idea of what we’re going to get no matter who’s in there,” Lions coach Dan Campbell told reporters this week of the Packers quarterbacking situation. “They’re both very good athletes. They both can run. They both can create issues in the pocket.”
The challenge for the Packers, with either Love or Willis behind center, will be keeping up with the potent Lions attack. Detroit enters the game averaging an NFL-best 33.4 points per game this season. But the Lions have averaged 43 points over their past four games.
In their two games against Green Bay last season, the Lions averaged 175.5 yards rushing, thanks to arguably the best running back tandem in the league in David Montgomery and the dynamic Jahmyr Gibbs. Montgomery enters this game with 415 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, and Gibbs has 591 yards and six TDs.
And we haven’t even mentioned Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who’s in the MVP conversation with a 1,695 passing yards, 74.1 percent completion rate with 13 TDs and just four interceptions.
The Packers’ best counter to the high-octane Lions attack is their ability to force turnovers. They have a league-high 19 takeaways, led by former Giants safety Xavier McKinney’s NFL-high six interceptions and seven total takeaways (he also has recovered a fumble).
Interestingly, though, while the Packers have the most takeaways, the Lions have the better turnover margin at plus-10, which is tied for second in the league behind Buffalo’s plus-11. The Lions have committed just five turnovers this season, while the Packers have 12.
Another area in which the Packers may be compromised is in their secondary. Cornerback Jaire Alexander injured his knee late in the Jacksonville game and rookie safety Evan Williams has a hamstring injury. The status of both remained unclear as the game approached.
In what’s expected to be a close game, keep an eye on the kicking game. Lions kicker Jake Bates has been almost perfect this season — 11-for-11 on field-goal attempts this season and 27-for-28 on extra points. For the Packers, Brandon McManus, who was brought in two weeks ago, has kicked a game-winning field goal on the final play of both games he’s played.
