GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have won four in a row. The Detroit Lions have won five in a row. If the Packers win, they will take first place in the NFC North. If the Lions win, they will take a sizable lead over Green Bay in the division.
John Maakaron of the Detroit Lions on SI gave his views on big game in this question-and-answer session.
1. Jared Goff’s 13 incomplete passes and 10 touchdown passes over the last four games are straight out of Mad. Why is the passing game so effective?
It’s a mix of stratagem and Goff’s performance at an extremely high level. He’s been preternatural during the team’s winning streak, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson continues to find ways for the offense to succeed at a high rate.
Having a running game like the Lions do doesn’t hurt either, as it has also allowed them to open up the play-action passing game.
Goff on play passes ranks first in incompletion percentage (80.3), yards (833), yards per attempt (11.7) and passer rating (133.2), according to Pro FootballFocus. Goff has been good across the board, but his completion percentage is plus-9.9 on play-action opportunities.
2. The Titans sacked Goff four times last week, which was pretty astonishing considering the perceived power of the line and the fact that Goff barely needed to throw the ball because the game was so lopsided. What were the problems and is this a real concern?
Anytime you give up four sacks in a game, that’s a reasonable concern. This was surprising considering how good the Lions’ o-line has been throughout the year, but it serves as an exception in an otherwise solid campaign.
Left tackle Taylor Decker has had some low moments in recent weeks, which is concerning. PFF charged him with five sacks – one in five games, including against the Vikings and Titans over the past two weeks. Left guard Graham Glasgow has allowed a sack in two of the last three games.
Credit goes to the Titans for their rushing stunts that kept the Lions line off balance. Their performance against the Packers could dictate whether the issues are a one-time situation or have the makings of a problem.
3. Without defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, the pass rush suffered, as expected. Is this a major weakness worth considering if the Packers decide to start a hobbled Jordan Love, which appears to be the case?
The Lions’ defensive line has had just one sack in three games since Hutchinson’s injury. Even though they may have been pressured at times, they do not have sufficient production when it comes to sacks. It’s pretty amazing that Hutchinson entered Week 9 ranked third with 7.5 sacks and first with 17 quarterback hits despite missing the last two and a half games.
As a result, calls are growing louder for the team to take a step forward. Former Packers star Za’Darius Smith is a potential candidate.
However, until they make a move, they only have what’s on the list. If Love plays poorly, that could make the effort easier, but they also didn’t have much success in terms of sacks against the Titans’ Mason Rudolph last week. Look for defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to continue to find unique ways to generate pressure.
4. If you look at yards allowed per carry, Detroit’s run defense is a little soft. But these are just numbers. Then again, when I asked Matt LaFleur on Thursday, he responded, “When they load the box and play you with tight man coverage like they showed, there’s nowhere to run.” » What do you see from this phase and how do they measure up against Josh Jacobs?
After a good start to the year in this area, teams are starting to have more success against them on the field. They allowed 133 rushing yards and 7.0 yards per carry against Seattle in Week 4 and 139 yards and a 6.6 average against Minnesota in Week 7.
But the Lions defense was very bent, don’t break. The Titans ran for 158 yards with a 4.9 yard average last week and lost by 38 points.
Jacobs presents yet another challenge, and the Lions will need to prepare for it. The defensive line has many solid pieces, but it has struggled at times to slow down opposing backs. Jacobs is perhaps the biggest threat they have faced this year and therefore a significant effort will be required.
5. You must bet a dollar. Who wins and why?
In this battle for first place, I expect a close battle. The Packers are 10th in the league in run defense, allowing an average of 110 yards per game. With the way Detroit has been running the ball, this could be the difference in the game.
Ultimately, the Lions will demonstrate their ability to run at a high level and, as a result, open up the rest of the offense to prevail in a one-score game.
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THE #PackersThe pass rush, which has been hot and cold, needs to catch fire against the Lions’ outstanding offensive line on Sunday. ⬇️https://t.co/0rnsGnBP2p
– Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) November 1, 2024
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