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Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff Writer
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Now, the Green Bay Packers can talk about the Detroit Lions again.
Beating them might be another story, considering the 24-14 thrashing they took at the hands of the NFC North division leaders in Week 9 at Lambeau Field. But at least they’re headed into the rematch next Thursday at Ford Field (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video) coming off three straight wins — including a second in a five-day span with Thursday’s 30-17 win over the Miami Dolphins.
And this much is true: The feeling that permeated from the Packers’ locker room on Thanksgiving night was that they are playing a different brand of football than when they fell behind 24-3 early in that Week 9 loss to Detroit.
“The one thing that stands out to me is we’re being physical in every phase of football, and I think that’s going to do us well,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think that gives you a chance each and every week, and it shows up all over the tape, whether it’s our linebackers hitting people, whether it’s up front, our receivers blocking. Really in every phase of the game, I think our guys are being extremely physical, and that’s something we can hang our hat on.”
That goes for both sides of the ball.
On offense, the Packers have seemingly fixed their red zone issues. They went 1-for-4 scoring touchdowns inside the 20 against the Lions and were at 47.1% in the red zone for the season after that game. In the three games since, the Packers have found the end zone on 73.3% of their red zone trips and, at one point, had a streak of nine straight red zone drives with touchdowns.
Jordan Love had thrown 10 interceptions, including one that Lions safety Kerby Joseph returned for a touchdown. In the three games since, he has thrown only one, and the Thanksgiving game was his second straight without a pick.
And Josh Jacobs has been the heavy-lifting running back the Packers had hoped for when they signed him in free agency. Jacobs has five touchdowns in the past three games and at least 100 yards from scrimmage (43 rushing and 74 receiving against Miami) in each of the past five. That’s tied with Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson for the longest streak of 100-yard games from scrimmage in the NFL this season.
“We know who we got this week coming up is a really good Lions team, and obviously they got us the first game,” said Love, who completed 21 of 28 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns against the Dolphins. “So we’ll be looking at everything, look at all the film, and put our game plan together. But I think just the rhythm we’re finding on offense right now, the way the defense is playing, I think we’re in a good spot.”
0:17
Packers’ defense stifles Dolphins on 4th down
Tua Tagovailoa makes a meal out of a fourth down and gets sacked as the Dolphins turn it over on downs vs. the Packers.
Speaking of that defense, it held Miami to just 39 yards rushing on 14 attempts, and even though Tua Tagovailoa threw for 365 yards and two touchdowns, much of that was late in the game after the Packers had a 27-3 lead. Perhaps the best sign for the Packers’ defense was the five times they sacked Tagovailoa.
Not only have the Packers found a pass rush that was largely absent in the first half of the season, but inside linebacker Quay Walker, who struggled early on, is coming off his two best games of 2024.
“We’re a different team,” said Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark, who recorded his first sack of the season against Miami. “We’re playing better together, taking away the ball. Like we’ve been talking about, just coming together as a team and playing complementary football and eliminating mistakes. Still got to slow down with the penalties and all that stuff as far as shooting ourselves in the foot and all the ticky-tack stuff. I think we’re getting away from that and just coming together as a team.”
The Packers would have liked to get some help from the Bears, who had the Lions on the ropes in Thursday’s first game, but it didn’t happen. The Lions’ win puts Detroit atop the division at 11-1, ahead of the 9-2 Vikings (who play the Cardinals on Sunday) and the 9-3 Packers.
The NFC North is the first division to have three nine-win teams through Week 13 since the 1985 AFC East, according to ESPN Research.
“I haven’t been 9-3 since I’ve been in the league,” said safety Xavier McKinney, who spent his first four seasons with the Giants before he signed with the Packers in the offseason. “So it feels amazing, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do. We’ve got a tough division, and we’ve got to get prepared for a big game next week.
Since Week 4, the Packers have gone 7-1 — the only loss coming to the Lions. The only teams with better records during that span are the Eagles (7-0) and Lions (8-0).
“It’s not a crazy feat to play these guys,” Packers linebacker Eric Wilson said of the Lions. “They play hard, they play together. We’re made of a similar philosophy — playing together and playing hard.”
Source: www.espn.com