Week 13 begins with a game that suddenly has a lot of importance, for the Green Bay Packers (7-4) at least. The Detroit Lions (4-7) keep accidentally winning, screwing up their draft position and giving Jim Caldwell job security. Neither of those things are good.
Scroll on down for the live blog. Keep reading for some preview information.
First, here’s my pick from today’s Thursday Night Match-Up.
The pick: I didn’t think Aaron Rodgers would lose back-to-back games at any point this season and then he lost three in a row. I’m still not picking against him. Packers 27, Lions 20
And here’s the entries from this week’s Power Rankings.
8. Green Bay Packers – (7-4) A month ago this Packers team seemed unbeatable. Then they lost to the Lions and it’s been downhill from there. Detroit is on the schedule again this week, so what better time than now to start that postseason run? Last week: No. 6
25. Detroit Lions – (4-7) The Lions have won three games in a row and while Aaron Rodgers and the Packers will probably put a stop to that streak Thursday night, Jim Caldwell might not be leaving town after all. Last week: No. 26
And here’s our GMS Preview.
The Detroit Lions (4-7) take on the Green Bay Packers (7-4) with the Lions’ three-game win streak on the line. Kickoff is at 8:25 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec 3 and will air on CBS and NFLN.
The last meeting between the Lions and Packers came in Week 10 when Detroit won in a tight one over Green Bay 18-16. Tahir Whitehead led the Lions defensive effort in that game, recording seven tackles and one sack. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix led the defensive effort for Green Bay, recording nine tackles and one interception. Justin Perillo was a factor as well, totaling 58 yards and a TD on five catches.
The Packers take on the Lions as a five-point favorite this week. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 47 points.
Sitting at 4-7 for both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS), the Lions will look to improve heading into Week 13. In their five most recent matchups, the Lions went 3-2 for both SU and ATS. Detroit hopes to take advantage of a Packers defense that allows 13.2 yards per pass during road games, last in the NFL. Crossing over to the defensive side of the ball, the Lions look to have a distinct advantage in certain spots. The Packers probably won’t throw the ball often in Detroit. They are one of the least-effective passing teams on the road, averaging 193.2 passing yards per away game. The Packers will need to stop Detroit’s defense from getting to their quarterback in order to be successful in this game. The Lions rank fifth in the league in sacks with 2.7 per game. Detroit has a formidable special teams unit that averages 99.1 return yards per game, ranking fourth in the NFL.
Shifting to the opposition, the Packers head into Week 13 with records of 6-5 ATS and 7-4 SU. Over their last five games, the Packers have a SU and ATS record of 1-4. The Detroit offensive line should be ready for a tough test this week as the Packers get to opposing quarterbacks with ease. The Packers defense is currently fifth in the league with an average of 2.7 sacks per game. The Packers will look to take advantage of a Detroit defense that allows an average of 5.5 points in the third quarter of home games, one of the worst marks in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – GB, ATS Winner – GB, O/U – Under
The game is on NFL Network at 8:25 p.m. Watch it with me.
