GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – NOVEMBER 28: Quarterback Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers leads a huddle before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins at Lambeau Field on November 28, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin . (Photo by Brooke Sutton/G
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers believe they have come a long way since their last matchup with the Detroit Lions nearly a month ago.
They have a chance to prove it Thursday when they visit Detroit to cap a stretch of three games in 12 days. The Packers must win this game – and avenge one Defeat 24-14 starting November 3 – to have a realistic chance of competing for the NFC North title.
Although the Packers (9-3) have put themselves in good shape to clinch a playoff spot by winning three straight and seven of their last eight, they remain two games behind the Lions (11-1) and one half game of Minnesota (9-2) in the NFC North. They have also already lost at home to both teams.
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This makes Thursday’s game critical.
“With everything the guys are winning on the other side, we have to do everything right from here on out,” running back Josh Jacobs said after the Packers game. Victory 30-17 Thursday evening against the Miami Dolphins. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Packers coach Matt LaFleur acknowledges the challenge the Packers will face in Detroit. He calls the Lions “the premier team in the National Football League.”
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But he also thinks the Packers are playing their best football of the season. They took a 27-3 lead against Miami four nights after reaching a Victory 38-10 against the San Francisco 49ers.
These fast starts represent a stark contrast to their loss to the Lions at Lambeau Field. The Packers allowed the Lions to take a 24-3 lead in that one.
“The one thing that stands out to me is we are physical in every phase of the football, and I think that will do us good,” LaFleur said Thursday night. “I think it gives you a chance every week, and it shows up all over the tape, whether it’s our linebackers hitting people, whether it’s up front, whether it’s our receivers blocking.”
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Packers center Josh Myers agrees that the Packers are playing better than they were in the Lions’ last game.
“I feel like we just found our rhythm,” Myers said. “We’ve settled in. All the time you were hearing complementary football everywhere, I feel like we’re doing it now.”
