NFL Game of The Week: Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions

Thursday Night Football kicks off at Ford Field tomorrow night to start an exciting Week 14 of action with the Green Bay Packers visiting the Detroit Lions.

The Packers, holding a 9-3 record and currently the 6 seed in the NFC, head to Detroit to face the Lions on the heels of a three-game win streak where they’ve averaged around 29 points per game.

Packers running back Josh Jacobs has proved to be a massive pickup over this past offseason, and his 987 rushing yards is third in the NFL through 12 games this season.

Jacobs is questionable to play, however, as he has been nursing a calf injury all week throughout practice.

If he’s not ready to go, Green Bay will have to look to backups Chris Brooks and Emmanuel Wilson, two players who have combined for 88 carries and 424 rushing yards this season.

The Packers’ run defense ranks eighth in the NFL so far this season with 106.6 rush yards allowed per game.

Linebacker Quay Walker has been a star on the defense this season for Green Bay, as he leads the team in total tackles with 89 and tackles for loss with eight.

The duo of safety Xavier McKinney and cornerback Jaire Alexander has been electric so far for the Packers, as they’ve combined for 16 pass deflections and nine interceptions through 12 games.

The Packers are 1-2 against NFC North opponents this season, with their lone win being a 20-19 road loss to the Bears in Week 9.

Green Bay is 4-1 on the road this season, with their lone road loss coming against the Eagles in Brazil in Week 1 by a score of 34-29.

The 11-1 Detroit Lions sit atop the NFC North and the NFC as a whole, and they won their first Thanksgiving game since 2016 thanks to a time management blunder by the Bears at the end of the game:

https://x.com/NFLonCBS/status/1862240877206233452

The Lions are on a 10-game winning streak, and they haven’t lost since a Week 2 home loss to the Buccaneers by a score of 20 to 16.

The running back duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery has combined for 1,693 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns this season, and both are well-rested and ready to go.

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown’s nine receiving touchdowns this season ties for second in the league, and he’s combined with WR Jameson Williams for 1,450 receiving yards through 12 games.

Detroit’s run defense ranks fifth in the league with 93.5 rushing yards allowed per game.

Defensive tackle Alim McNeill has wreaked havoc in the backfield this season, as he leads the active roster in sacks with 3.5 and ties the team lead in tackles for loss with seven.

Three Lion defensive backs have double-digit pass deflections, and the team has 60 overall.

Lions safety Kerby Joseph and Packers safety Xavier McKinney have tied the league lead in interceptions with seven.

Detroit is 3-0 against NFC North opponents this season and 5-1 at Ford Field.

With a win, the Lions would sweep the Packers for the first time since 1991. This game will start Week 14 on the right track for sure, as it will be a battle between divisional rivals.

Bryan Portney is a first-year broadcast journalism major. To contact him, email bep5295@psu.edu.