For the third straight season, the Packers will play on Thanksgiving Day. The Packers head to Detroit for the second time in three seasons to take on the Lions in a massive NFC North battle. Green Bay took down Detroit in Week 1 and currently sits in second place in front of the third place Lions. This will be a challenging game for the Packers but if they can contain Jahmyr Gibbs, make Jared Goff uncomfortable, and be aggressive on offense, they can win this game.
The Packers were very successful with those three keys in the first match up against the Lions. Green Bay held Gibbs to 50 yards on 19 touches. The Packers sacked Jared Goff 4 times and hit him 9 times. The Packers offense also attacked the Lions defense down the field. The offense had a 15 yard TD to Tucker Kraft, a 17 yard TD to Jayden Reed, and a 48 yard pass to Romeo Doubs.
The Packers Must Contain Jahmyr Gibbs
Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs is becoming a name to really fear in the NFL. He continues to get better and he is a really impactful player for Detroit. In three of his last five games, Gibbs has rushed for 210 yards and 2 TDs against the Giants, 142 yards and 2 TDs against the Commanders, and 136 yards and 2 TDs against the Buccaneers. During that same 5 game stretch, Gibbs has also tallied 82 receiving yards against the Buccaneers, 107 receiving yards against the Eagles, and 45 receiving yards and 1 TD against the Giants.
The Lions are coming off a comeback, overtime win against the Giants thanks to a Jahmyr Gibbs 69 yard rushing touchdown on the first play of overtime. The point is Gibbs is a game wrecker. The Packers did an excellent job of controlling Gibbs in Week 1, primarily due to a “gang tackle, rally to the ballcarrier” approach from the Green Bay defense. A win over the Lions will require a similar mindset from the Packers defense.
The Packers Will Need to Make Jared Goff Uncomfortable
Lions QB Jared Goff can be as lethal as anyone when he gets into a rhythm and is playing comfortably. However, when Goff is under duress and has to make off rhythm plays, he can struggle. The Packers defense sacked Goff 4 times in Week 1. They clearly frustrated Goff in the first matchup. Goff averaged 5.8 yards a completion. He threw for 225 yards on 31 completions. Even more so to the point, Gibbs had 10 receptions for 31 yards which goes to show that Goff was quickly going to his check down and the Packers were all over it.
In the Packers two victories over the Lions since 2023, Goff struggled and looked rushed. On Thanksgiving in 2023, Goff fumbled three times, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Green Bay had 3 sacks in that victory. Goff threw one interception in Week 1 as well. The recipe for success in recent matchups against Jared Goff and the Lions is making him uncomfortable. The Lions offensive line has struggled as of late too, plus they might be without Center Graham Glasgow.
Time to Be Aggressive!
Many Packer fans remember the first play of the 2023 Thanksgiving showdown. The Packers and Jordan Love came out and immediately attacked the Detroit defense. Love threw a 53 yard pass to Christian Watson to start the game. It was the perfect play for the Packers. It sucked the energy out of the stadium and really set the tone for the game. There is no doubt that Dan Campbell and the Lions will be ultra aggressive so if the Packers can start quick and land the first punch, it would be huge for the momentum.
LaFleur has been cautious in recent weeks. It was clear against the Vikings that he knew Minnesota could not score enough points once the Packers took a 17-6 lead. Although, it might have been frustrating, with another game 4 days later and a banged up quarterback, it made sense to shorten the game. Ultimately, it worked out well. However, Detroit has the ability to score and do it over and over again so in order to come out on top, LaFleur and Love will need to let it loose.
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