U.S.

The NFC North-leading Lions host the Packers on Thanksgiving, aiming to extend their best start since 1962

ikramshoukat16 November 22, 2023

0 0 3 minutes read

The NFC North-leading Lions host the Packers on Thanksgiving, aiming to extend their best start since 1962

Green Bay (4-6) p Detroit (8-2)

Thursday, 12:30 PM EST, FOX

Opening line: black by 7 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Against the spread: Green Bay 4-6; Detroit 7-3.

Series record: Packers lead 105-76-7.

LAST MEETING: The Lions beat the Packers September 34-20, 28 in Green Bay.

Last week: Packers beat Chargers 23-20; The Lions beat the Bears 31-26.

Packers offense: overall (21), rushing (21), passing (19), scoring (20 points).

Packers Defense: Overall (17), rushing (28), passing (7), scoring (10).

Lions Offense: Overall (2), Rushing (5), Passing (5), Scoring (6).

Lions Defense: Overall (9), Rushing (5), Passing (16), Scoring (22).

Rotation differential: beam minus 3; Black minus -2.

Packers player to watch: RBA Jay Dillon. The Packers may need to rely heavily on Dillon to carry the rushing attack as Aaron Jones is out with a knee injury. Dillon had just five carries for 11 yards when the Packers fell to the Lions earlier this season. He has started eight games since Green Bay drafted him out of Boston College in the second round in 2020.

A Black Player to Watch: Written by Aidan Hutchinson. He had 1 1/2 sacks at Green Bay in Week 4. Hutchinson is the first NFL player to have more than 15 sacks and four INTs over his first two seasons. He is also first in league history with 15 sacks, four TBIs and two fumble recoveries in 27 games, passing Brian Urlacher, who has done so in 34 games.

Key matchup: Detroit’s run game against Green Bay’s defense. Dave Montgomery had 121 yards rushing and three TDs in the win at Green Bay. Rookie from scrimmage Jahmyr Gibbs is averaging 130.5 yards with five TDs over the past four games. They are the first pair of NFL RBs to have more than 665 yards from scrimmage and five TDs through 10 games since 2009 when Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams did it in Miami. The Packers are giving up 134.7 rushing yards, which ranks worst in the league, and allowed 211 rushing yards in the previous matchup with Detroit.

Key Injuries: Packers RB Aaron Jones (knee), RB Emmanuel Wilson (shoulder) and TE Luke Musgrave (abdomen) are not expected to play. …Darnell Savage (calf) returned to training after missing the last four games. … LB De’Vondre Campbell left Sunday’s game with a stinger and WR Dontayvion Wicks was evaluated for a concussion. … Lions G Jonah Jackson (wrist) is expected to be out for the fifth time in six games.

Series Notes: The Lions, with four straight series wins, have a chance to win five in a row for the first time since an 11-game winning streak from 1949 to 1954. … Green Bay plays Detroit on Thanksgiving for the 22nd time, making it the opponent Most common on holiday. The Packers are 8-12-1 against the Lions on Thanksgiving. …Detroit and Green Bay play multiple times in a season on Thursday for the first time since 1926.

Stats and Stuff: Packers QB Jordan Love threw for a career-high 322 yards against the Chargers, giving the team a 300-yard passing game for the first time in nearly two years. … Keisean Nixon leads the NFL with an average of 26.8 yards per return. … WR Romeo Doubs has caught a TD in four of his past five games. … WR Jayden Reed, a second-round rookie out of Michigan State, has seven catches of 30-plus yards this season. Miami’s Tyreek Hill is the only player with more receptions of at least 30 yards. … Reed had a team-high 46 yards rushing on three carries last week. …K Anders Carlson missed an extra point attempt on Sunday and had the game suspended beforehand. …Detroit is 8-2 for the first time since 1962 when it won 11 of its first 13 games, finishing 13-3 with the third-best record in the league as Green Bay went on to beat the New York Giants for the NFL title. …The Lions are one of four teams that have not played in the Super Bowl along with Cleveland, Houston and Jacksonville, each of which is 7-3 or better this season. … Against Chicago last week, the Lions became the first team to rally from a 12-point deficit in the final three minutes of a game to win without overtime since the New York Jets did so in Week 2 of last season. … WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has at least six catches in 28 games, and Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson (32) is the only player in NFL history to catch more in his first three seasons.

FANTASY TIP: If Dillon is lurking on your bench or still available on the waiver wire in your league, this might be a good time to take him because he’s expected to get a lot of carries in Jones’ place.