Good afternoon, everyone. On Monday night, the Green Bay Packers will take on the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. This will be the first game with a full Lambeau Field crowd since the 2019 Divisional Round game against the Seattle Seahawks. I’m here to give you my thoughts on what the Packers need to do to make those fans happy all game long.
On offense, it all starts with running the ball down the defense’s throats. What can help with this is the offensive line creating the holes for Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon to run through for plenty of yards. Even if each run play doesn’t get many yards, head coach Matt LaFleur needs to stick with the run game. With enough effort and commitment, the 2 to 3 yard gains can turn to 8 to 9 yard gains. I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Packers go over 200 yards on the ground on Monday night. As long as everyone does their part, I think that the Packers can do that. Running the ball well can set up the passing game, particularly play-action. I am sure that Aaron Rodgers will do much better than how he did against the Saints in Jacksonville. It starts with the O-Line (plus any additional blockers) giving him time to find an open receiver and throw to him with precision. It’s up to the receivers (including Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Randall Cobb, Amari Rodgers, and Robert Tonyan) to run their routes and catch each pass thrown by Rodgers. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see the running backs get some touches as well in the passing game. Hopefully there are some trick plays to confuse the Lions defense on Monday night. Of most importance, the Packers need to be consistent in converting third downs and sustaining long drives (while not committing turnovers in the process). When they reach the red zone, they need to score touchdowns instead of settling for field goals. Everyone on offense needs to do their job and have high energy, especially with the crowd at Lambeau Field anticipating plenty of points on the scoreboard (and a few Lambeau Leaps along the way). I have high confidence that the Packers offense will have a massive rebound against Detroit.
On defense, it all starts with limiting the Lions’ ground game. With a duo of D’Andre Swift and (former Packer) Jamaal Williams, the Lions could be a threat at running the football if the Packers defense isn’t ready. Even with Za’Darius Smith on injured reserve due to a back issue, the defense should be able to keep the run game in check. The defensive linemen, including Kenny Clark, need to fill in the gaps and get to the ball carrier for only a yard or 2. Even if there are plays that they give up more than 5 yards, the defense can’t let those happen too many times. If the Packers are able to shut down the run game, then the pass rush can get after new Lions QB Jared Goff (who was traded to Detroit by the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Matthew Stafford). The pass rushers (including Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary) need to get past the blockers and at least pressure Goff to terrible throws. A couple of sacks would be nice, but I hope the pass rush at least does something to affect Goff on Monday night. For the defensive backs, they need to follow the receivers tightly and not allow easy catches for anybody (especially TJ Hockenson). I hope that rookie Eric Stokes gets some more reps on Monday night over Kevin King, who got beat on a deep touchdown pass in Week 1. Most importantly, the defense needs to keep the Lions from converting too many third downs and scoring touchdowns in the red zone (no matter what quarter the game is in). One thing that the Packers can’t do on defense is to give up a few chunk plays to Detroit. Basically, that means that a short pass completion can’t be turned into a big gain. I also hope that the defense gets a couple of turnovers that can give the offense more chances to score. I have plenty of hope that the defense will rebound thanks in part to the crowd at Lambeau Field.
On Special Teams, all the Packers need to do is to avoid penalties and mistakes that can give the Lions any extra momentum. An example of such mistakes would be fumbling on a kickoff or a punt return. To avoid this, the return man needs to field the ball cleanly and hold onto it whenever he has a big return opportunity. During punts, the returner needs to just fair catch the ball when he has no room to run. On the other side, the Packers need to cover each kick and punt return well (when the kick is not a touchback or a fair catch). Corey Bojorquez needs to punt each ball deep in Lions territory when he is called upon (hopefully not too many times). Mason Crosby needs to make every field goal and extra point kick when his number is called. Hunter Bradley needs to snap each ball accurately each time to make sure that there are no slip ups on field goal and punt attempts. The line protecting the kicks needs to keep any of them from being blocked by Detroit, regardless of if it’s the first possession or the final snap of the game. As long as everyone does their part well, the Packers should be fine on Special Teams.
I am glad that the Packers are able to play in front of a full crowd at Lambeau Field again. I hope that those fans will cheer loudly for the Green and Gold on Monday night. I also hope that the Packers will put on a great performance on all sides of the football in return. As long as they don’t make too many mistakes, I think that the Packers should win by more than 14 points. Regardless of the outcome, I hope that both teams remain injury-free on Monday night. I’ll be here with my postgame thoughts on Tuesday or Wednesday. Have a great day, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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