Game Day: How to watch and 3 things to watch for Lions vs. Packers
● When: Thursday, 8:15 p.m.
● Where: Ford Field, Detroit
● How to watch: Amazon Prime and Fox 2, locally (Al Michaels/Kirk Herbstreit/Kaylee Hartung)
● How to listen: 97.1-FM The Ticket in Metro Detroit or any number of network affiliates around the state.
● Line: Lions -3.5
● Injury report: The Lions have ruled out four starters — offensive tackle Taylor Decker, defensive tackle DJ Reader and defensive linemen Josh Paschal and Levi Onwuzurike.
The Packers will be without No. 1 cornerback Jaire Alexander, rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and wide receiver Romeo Doubs.
● Officiating assignment: John Hussey’s crew. He’s officiated 11 Lions games since being promoted to referee in 2015. Most recently, Hussey worked Detroit’s blowout win over Dallas this season. His crew averages the second-fewest flags thrown per game this season.
● Last meeting: In Week 9, the Lions jumped out to a 24-3 third-quarter lead and coasted to a 10-point victory in rainy Green Bay.
Coverage from the week
● Three and Out: Aaron Glenn vs. attrition and viewing dreaded replay through fresh eyes
● Injuries update: Detroit Lions lose yet another defender to season-ender
● Packers, Lions contrasting pictures of health heading into Thursday matchup
● Coordinator recap: Style over scheme for new Lions defenders
● After bet on himself busts, LB Turner unexpectedly finds what he was looking for with Detroit Lions
● Contextualizing Lions' woes to the most injury-ravaged roster of the past decade
● Some quick thoughts after Lions rule out 4 starters for Thursday night matchup
Three things worth watching
● To deal with their mounting injuries, the Lions added four new defenders this week and coach Dan Campbell suggested all four could see playing time despite the quick turnaround.
Detroit’s biggest need is along the front with Paschal, Onwuzurike and Reader sidelined. That means Myles Adams and Jonah Williams, poached off the Seahawks and Rams practice squads, respectively, will need to fill some of the workload void.
Williams, a 16-game starter for the Rams last season, is more of a big edge, similar to how Paschal and John Cominsky have been used in Detroit’s system. Adams, meanwhile, is an undersized interior lineman who can handle spot duty on the edge. He effectively replaces rookie Mekhi Wingo, who was lost to a season-ending knee injury this week.
In the next level, the Lions added former Pro Bowl linebacker Kwon Alexander and former All-Pro safety Jamal Adams, who has been working with the linebackers in practice. The latter was always at his best playing in the box, thriving in run support, covering tight ends from the slot, and rushing the passer, where he's been a highly effective blitzer.
Even if both suit up, the Lions shouldn’t need to put too much on either's plate during their first week with the team. Two other relative newcomers, Ezekiel Turner and David Long, at least have a few weeks of experience in the scheme and can shoulder the load after a season-ending injury to Malcolm Rodriguez further depleted the team’s depth.
● The short-term turnover trends aren’t in Detroit’s favor heading into this matchup.
After intercepting at least one pass in each of the first 10 games, the Lions haven’t snagged a pick in two straight. It wasn’t from a lack of opportunities against the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving as multiple passes off the arm of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams hit Detroit defenders in the hands.
Meanwhile, after throwing at least one interception in his first eight appearances this season (11 total), Packers quarterback Jordan Love seems to have the turnover woes under control. He protected the ball well the past two games, big wins over San Francisco and Miami.
“(We) just continue to emphasize it,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said about reversing the trend. “Man, we’re so close and that has been a point of emphasis this week, things we’ve talked about in practice. We got some yesterday, which was good, and we know that’ll be a pivotal part of this game, as in any game. We’ve got to take care of the football on offense. Defense, we’ve got to come away with them if we get our hands on them.”
● After a midseason lull, Detroit’s run defense has course corrected, holding their past four opponents under 100 yards and just 271 yards total during the stretch (3.6 per carry).
They’ll look to continue that success against Green Bay, one of the NFL’s better rushing offenses, led by one of the league’s most productive backs, Josh Jacobs.
Earlier this week, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn noted Green Bay has done a good job funneling its offense through Jacobs, who ranks third in rushing yards and fifth in yards from scrimmage. By doing so, they’ve taken pressure off Love, contributing to his rapidly improving stat line and declining turnovers.
Jacobs was hobbled by an ankle injury in the week leading up to the previous matchup with Detroit, not that you could tell. He burst through the line for a 37-yard romp in the first half, part of a 13-carry, 95-yard day before the scoreboard did more to minimize his impact down the stretch than Detroit’s defense.
Along with backfield mates Chris Brooks and Emanuel Wilson, the Packers averaged 6.0 yards per carry in last month's matchup, part of that aforementioned midseason lull for the Lions. Maintaining their run-defending turnaround will be key to sweeping the season series from the division rival.
I am worried that the Lions could lose this game but as Tom Petty said "most the things I worry about never happen anyways".