Insider’s perspective on the Packers-Lions matchup

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have won four in a row. The Detroit Lions have won five in a row. If the Packers win, they will be first in the NFC North. If the Lions win, they will take the league lead over Green Bay.

Detroit Lions’ John Maakaron at SI In this Q&A, he gave his take on the big game.

1. Jared Goff’s 13 incomplete passes and 10 touchdown passes in the last four games are completely unorthodox. Madden. Why is the passing game so efficient?

It’s a mix of the scheme and Goff performing at an extremely high level. He has made a huge impact on the team’s winning streak, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson continues to find ways for the offense to be highly successful.

Having a running game like the Lions do doesn’t hurt either, as it allowed them to open up the play-action pass game as well.

According to Pro Football Focus, Goff ranks No. 1 in passing game in completion percentage (80.3), yards (833), yards per attempt (11.7) and passer rating (133.2). Goff has been good in every program, but his completion percentage in action opportunities is plus-9.9.

2. The Titans sacked Goff four times last week. This was quite surprising considering the perceived strength of the line and the fact that Goff barely had to throw the ball because the play was so lopsided. What were the issues and is this a real concern?

That’s a reasonable concern when you give up four sacks in a game. That was surprising given how good the Lions’ online line has been all year, but it was an outlier in an otherwise solid campaign.

Left tackle Taylor Decker has had low moments in recent weeks, which is cause for concern. PFF charges him with five sacks, one in five games over the past two weeks, including the Vikings and Titans game. Left guard Graham Glasgow has allowed a sack in two of the last three games.

Credit is due to the Titans for their rushing display that kept the Lions’ line off-balance. How they perform against the Packers could determine whether the issues are a one-time situation or a nuisance.

3. Without defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, the passing offense predictably suffered. Is this a notable weakness if the Packers decide to start a hobbled Jordan Love, which appears to be the case?

The Lions’ defensive line has just one sack in parts of three games since Hutchinson’s injury. Even though they can get pressure from time to time, they have no production in terms of sacks. It’s surprising that Hutchinson entered Week 9 ranked third with 7.5 sacks and first with 17 quarterback hits despite missing the last two and a half games.

As a result, there are growing calls for the team to move on the passer. Former Packers star Za’Darius Smith is one potential candidate.

But until they make a move, they only have what’s on the roster. Love’s play could make the effort easier if it hurt, but they didn’t have much success against the Titans’ Mason Rudolph last week either. Look for defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to continue finding unique ways to generate pressure.

4. If you look at yards allowed per carry, Detroit’s run defense is a bit soft. But these are just numbers. Then when I asked Matt LaFleur on Thursday, he said, “When they fill the box and put you in tight man coverage like they do, there’s nowhere to run.” What do you see at this stage and how do they match up with Josh Jacobs?

Teams made a strong start to the year in this area and began to achieve more success against themselves on the field. They gave up 133 rushing yards and 7.0 yards per carry against Seattle in Week 4 and 139 yards and 6.6 yards per carry against Minnesota in Week 7.

But the Lions’ defense is very bent, don’t be offended. The Titans rushed for 158 yards last week, averaging 4.9 yards per game, and lost by 38 points.

Jacobs faces a new challenge and the Lions will need to be ready for it. There are many solid pieces in the defensive line, but they had difficulty slowing down opposing players at times. Jacobs may be the biggest threat they face this year and a strong effort will be needed as a result.

5. You must bet a dollar. Who wins and why?

I expect a close fight in the fight for first place. The Packers rank 10th in the league in run defense, giving up an average of 110 yards per game. Judging by how well Detroit runs the ball, that could be the difference in the game.

Ultimately, the Lions will showcase their high-level running abilities and ultimately open up the rest of the offense to prevail in a one-score game.

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