Can the Lions offense hit their stride again as Green Bay comes to town? Check out this week’s bold prediction.
The Green Bay Packers are heating up at the right time, having gone 3-0 since they last faced the Detroit Lions. They remain in close pursuit for the NFC North. In those three games, they’ve allowed an average of less than 16 points to opposing offenses, and Packers QB Jordan Love is playing some of his best football.
The Lions have been a different story. Since handily defeating the Packers, they’ve gone into a bit of a slump. That’s not saying much, considering they’re still 4-0 in that time, but they’ve definitely lost a step. The Lions offense has looked a step slower in their matchups against the Texans, Colts, and Bears, the latter two being teams that probably shouldn’t have given Detroit as much trouble as they did. The Lions are injured and trying to find the groove they had earlier on in the season when they were manhandling just about every opponent. Is this the week they find it again?
Bold prediction of the week: Lions offense finds its groove again against Green Bay, scores 30+ points
The Lions offense has shown that they have the firepower to compete with anybody. They put up 42, 47, and 31 points against the Seahawks, Cowboys, and Vikings, respectively in consecutive weeks. Since then, they’ve only crossed the 30-point threshold against the Titans and Jaguars, both of whom are bottom-of-the-barrel teams. The Lions have struggled to find the same offensive mojo, but hosting Green Bay this week might be the solution.
For starters, the Packers defense is limping their way into Ford Field. Star cornerback Jaire Alexander has been ruled out for Thursday night’s matchup. So has LB Edgerrin Cooper, a starter for Green Bay, as well as backup CB Corey Ballentine. That’s a healthy amount of turnover in the Packers secondary, while the Lions’ receiving corps remains healthy.
The Lions offense remains relatively healthy, but not perfect. Left tackle Taylor Decker is set to miss a second straight week. Last week, Dan Skipper had a few hiccups filling in, and that could slow down the Lions offense a bit. Otherwise, though, they’re all systems go on offense.
The other factor at play is that Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers offense are heating up. They’re averaging over 29 points per game since last playing the Lions, and Jordan Love is playing some of the cleanest football of his career. He has just one interception in the three weeks. That could be a recipe for a shootout, especially as the Lions struggle to remain healthy on defense.
Ultimately, it’s two high-powered, healthy offenses going head-to-head on Thursday night. The Lions may have no choice but to find their groove again if they want to keep pace with the Packers offense. They’ll have the right matchups to do so with the Packers down two defensive starters. Give me the Lions with 30+ points in a close, high-scoring shootout.
