Three Reasons Why the Packers Lost to the Lions

GREEN BAY, Wisconsin – The Green Bay Packers will face their biggest challenge of the season when they host the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

The Lions (6-1) have the best record in the NFC. They have won five in a row and lead the NFL in scoring differential. They pull off a 38-point victory over the Titans; Their seven touchdowns in that win came on a 70-yard touchdown run, a 90-yard punt return and five drives of less than 30 yards.

Yes, Green Bay is better than Tennessee. But the Lions are much, much better than the Texans and Jaguars, whom the Packers beat by touchdowns in the final game.

There are three reasons why the Packers lost to the Lions.

1. The Unstoppable Lion Charge

The Lions are No. 1 in the NFL in scoring, No. 3 in passing yards per game, No. 5 in rushing yards per game. They are seventh on third down and in the red zone. They have the fourth-fewest turnovers this season with just one turnover and no interceptions since Week 3.

Jared Goff is the hottest quarterback in the NFL. Running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs create thunder and lightning in the backfield. Amon-Ra St. Brown is an elite receiver and Sam LaPorta is on his way to becoming an elite tight end. And the offensive line, led by right tackle Penei Sewell and center Frank Ragnow, is as good as it gets.

Green Bay’s defense took a big hit last week in Jacksonville, but two results made the difference in the 30-27 victory.

“I think we’re getting better defensively overall,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said. “I think we will be more consistent, but our players are playing faster, they are more physical and we are getting out in front of the ball. They are starting to understand the scheme more and the technique earlier. I think our defender is playing better. It will be nice to have Quay (Walker) back.”

The biggest problem will be Goff against the Packers secondary, which is without rookie safety Evan Williams (hamstring) and cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee; hasn’t practiced all week).

Goff is on the heater. Over the last five games, Goff has completed 83.0 percent of his passes for a 146.5 passer rating; That’s the best marks for a quarterback in NFL history with five starts. The Lions scored more goals than Goff completed during that stretch. He has conceded 10 goals in the last four games, compared to just 13 goals.

Alexander and Keisean Nixon, the team’s second choice, had played well at corner, Javon Bullard at slot, and Xavier McKinney and Williams at safety. When Williams came out in the second quarter last week, the Packers couldn’t handle the Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence.

If Alexander remains inactive, Goff and St. How will they deal with Brown? Alexander has allowed one catch in each of the last three games. If this is the way the Packers line up, the pressure will be on Eric Stokes, who is struggling, and Carrington Valentine, who is barely playing, to man the cornerback positions.

St. Brown ranks fourth in receptions among players with 56 career starts. Since the start of the 2023 season, he ranks second in receiving yards and first downs and third in receiving yards. He managed to score in five consecutive matches.

“He’s very competitive,” Packers defensive passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley said. “You can feel it on tape. “He’s strong and low to the ground, so you really have to tackle him and get on his body.”

2. Big Game Lion Defense

The Packers have been feasting on takeaways all season long.

So are the lions.

Detroit ranks second in tackles (15) and interceptions (10). Green Bay’s Xavier McKinney is first with six tackles, while Lions’ safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are second and third with five and four interceptions, respectively.

“Anytime you can put pressure on the quarterback, you’re creating throws that may not be the right calls or are quicker than normal,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “Both guys have tremendous ball skills. These guys make some pretty good plays that most safeties can’t make, and they can even make it in tough situations.

“Joseph does a really good job of reading the quarterback’s eyes and being in the right place at the right time. Yeah, they throw a good one-two punch there. They do a really good job.”

As a rookie in 2022, Joseph had three interceptions and five passes defensed against Aaron Rodgers in two contests. Branch had 15 tackles and two tackles for loss against the Packers last year as a rookie.

Of course, one of the biggest problems this season was Jordan Love’s overly aggressive play. Despite missing two and a half games, no quarterback had more interceptions than Love’s nine.

“Joseph and Branch are definitely ballhawk players,” Love said. “They have the ability to make these big plays. We saw those guys. We have a feel for them and you always have to be smart with the ball, be selective and make great reads. “I know who these guys are, they’re very good players, they’re very talented, and it’s no surprise they’re doing big things there.”

Also note: The Lions on defense are first on third down (30.7 percent conversion) and ninth in the red zone (47.4 percent touchdowns). Green Bay is 15th in rushing on third down (39.0 percent) and 25th in the red zone (50.0 percent). The Packers can’t afford to lose either of those areas.

3. Explosive Lions Special Teams

Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia took an unconventional approach during Thursday’s press conference. He brought a sheet of paper full of notes, careful to highlight each of the challenges Detroit’s special teams presented.

It took about 90 seconds to get over it.

“Of course, I will start the big fight at home this week with the Lions coming,” Bisaccia began. “It really kind of starts with their head coach.”

Dan Campbell emphasizes special teams and coordinator Dave Fipp has assembled an explosive unit in his fourth season.

Last week against the Titans, Kalif Raymond had a 90-yard touchdown on a punt return, a 64-yard punt return to set up a touchdown, and a 44-yard punt return that was negated by a penalty. Additionally, Khalil Dorsey returned a kickoff 72 yards.

“He’s hard to handle,” Bisaccia said of Raymond. “He’s got great speed. He’s playing fearlessly right now. He’s playing with a lot of confidence and he can definitely go the distance. On the other hand, Dorsey did a great job on the kickoff. He had two really big payoffs. He also has the speed to go the distance.”

Punter Jack Fox is No. 1 with a 47.3-yard net average. Kicker Jake Bates, a popular player following the UFL season, was 11/11 on field goals and 27/28 on extra points; Bisaccia didn’t think Bates missed the extra point.

The Packers need to be on guard for fraud when it comes to Fipp and Campbell; The Packers stopped one on a crucial play at Ford Field last year.

The Packers’ coverage units have been solid this season; He ranks seventh in punts and 14th in kickoffs. But they haven’t faced a special team with the all-around strength of the Lions, and rain could create a slippery slope that would be to the returners’ advantage.

“These guys are as good a team as we’ve played,” Fipp said of the Packers. “They’re super talented, they’re big, they’re physical, they’re tough.

“They probably play one of their best offenses on punt return, No. 11 (Jayden Reed). We all know who 25 (Keisean Nixon) is. These guys are really good in every way. So for us, we have to go out there and expect their best and play our best once again.”

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