Looking Ahead: Packers @ Lions (And yes, the Lions finally matter). November 16, 2007
Posted by packattack247 in Aaron Kampman, Brett Favre, Detroit Lions, Football, Green Bay Packers, KGB, NFL, National Football League, Shaun Rogers, Sports, Thanksgiving.Tags: Aaron Kampman, Corey Redding, KGB, Lions, Packers, Shaun Rogers, Thanksgiving
trackback
As many of you NFL fans know, Brett Favre has finally found the fountain of youth and has the Packers leading the NFC North division at a fantastic 8-1. What you might not know is how dangerous the Lions, who are nipping at the heels of Green Bay at 6-3, are a real threat to the Packers division title hopes. A win against the surging New York Giants (won 6 of last 7 with that one defeat coming to the mighty Dallas Cowboys) would put Detroit at 7-3, the third best record in the conference. But, none of that matters right? Wrong. When the Packers and the Lions meet up on Turkey Day ‘07 we’ll finally have something to feast on, a battle of two NFC teams in which the Lions FINALLY matter. Let’s look ahead to the big game.
Packers Offense vs. Lions D
At first glance you would think this to be an easy task for the Packers offensive unit, but dig a little deeper and you’ll see what will worry Mike McCarthy the entire week before. The Lion have perhaps the best Defensive Tackle combo in all of football with Corey Redding and Shaun Rogers, and against a weak Packers running game they should excel. Look for Green Bay to run off-tackle or stretch plays as well as a good dose of the shotgun in order to get the big fellas sucking wind early. Running up the middle will play to Detroit’s strengths and allow the D to make this group one dimensional. Detroit’s key is to keep a good line rotation as well as sending in playmaker Ernie Sims to wreak havoc.
Lions Offense vs. Packers D
The Lions face a tough task on offense this week, with noble but turnover prone QB Jon Kitna taking the snaps for them. Detroits great passing game looks to get off the group against two shutdown corners, while Kevin Jones and the running game will need to get past AJ Hawk and Nick Barnett. The key to this battle is shutting down Jones and Tatum Bell to allow sackmasters Kabeer Gbaja Biamilla and Aaron Kampman to pin their ears back and attack the QB. The Lions mustn’t abandon the running game and try to find a crack in a solid Packers Defense.
Final Word
This should be an offensive fire fight, so the team who makes more big plays should win. You can’t bet against a Brett Favre with a plethora of weapons in his arsenal and a safety net in his maturing defensive unit. The Packers win 35-31 and bury the Lions in the NFC North race.
Good job breaking down the game, turned out to be a pretty accurate assessment of the game… the Lions did run the ball early and find some cracks, but the pressure from Kampman & KGB got too much and Kitna couldn’t really produce when the heat came. And boy did Favre produce!
I don’t honestly see Detroit “mattering” any more when the postseason places get shared out, with another Packers match-up and one with Dallas ahead of them. But if they can win their other 3 and get to 9-7, maybe they can still sneak in. This year is really a bridge year for them though, like last year was for the Packers when they went 8-8. If Detroit and going to be a force, 2008 is when we will see it.