The Detroit Lions will head on the road to battle the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night in an early-season NFC North showdown.
Both teams will enter the game with records of 2-1, so this is actually a pretty pivotal matchup even though it is taking place in September.
Divisional games are always important, and with the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears both 0-3, it appears that the Lions and Packers will be duking it out for first place in the NFC North all season long.
This first clash could be crucial in setting the tone and for getting a leg up in terms of tiebreakers.
So, here are three bold predictions for Detroit as it prepares to battle its rival.
Jahmyr Gibbs Will Be Front And Center For The Lions
The Packers’ defense ranks a modest 15th in the NFL this season, but they have struggled in stopping the run, as they are just 27th in that category through three weeks.
Lions rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs has been solid in the early stages of 2023, carrying the ball 31 times for 139 yards. That’s good for a 4.5 yards-per-carry average.
The No. 12 overall pick was particularly impressive during Detroit’s Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons, totaling 80 yards on 17 rushing attempts.
No, he isn’t Jonathan Taylor, but he is good enough to potentially puncture what has been a very shaky Packers run defense. Plus, with fellow halfback David Montgomery‘s status in question due to a thigh injury, Gibbs will probably end up being the Lions’ go-to guy in the ground game throughout the evening.
Expect the Lions to get Gibbs established right off the bat.
The Lions Will Dare Jordan Love To Beat Them
Detroit does not have a great pass defense. It currently ranks 19th in the NFL in that category, and last season it ranked 30th.
However, what the Lions do have is a strong run defense. At least thus far in 2023. They rank No. 5 in the league in stopping the run through the first three weeks of the season, and with Packers running back Aaron Jones banged up and AJ Dillon struggling mightily, Green Bay may have a tough time getting its rushing attack going.
Because the Lions seem likely to stuff the Packers’ ground game, there will be plenty of pressure on Jordan Love to beat Detroit with his arm.
While Love has shown unquestionable arm talent, he has also been pretty inefficient, completing just 53.1 percent of his throws over the first three games.
The Lions don’t have the greatest secondary in the NFL, but because their run defense has been stout, you can bet that they will be testing Love to see what he has.
Jared Goff Will Manage The Game
While Jared Goff has revitalized his career in Motown, he is not playing his best football at the moment.
In this past Sunday’s win over the Falcons, Goff threw for 243 yards, a touchdown and an interception in what was a rather pedestrian performance against a pretty poor defense.
The problem for Goff is that he will be facing a very good pass defense on Thursday, as the Packers rank 10th in the league in defending the pass this season and finished sixth in that category a year ago.
What’s more, Green Bay has forced 24 takeaways thus far in 2023, so Goff will have to be careful.
Goff has only thrown two picks this year and tossed up only seven all of 2022, so he has improved in that area after being relatively interception-prone during his days with the Los Angeles Rams.
But this week, it will be more important than ever for Goff to simply manage the game and avoid turning the ball over. He isn’t Patrick Mahomes. He isn’t Justin Herbert. He just needs to go out there, take care of the football and make the right plays. The Lions’ coaching staff will likely ensure he will do just that.
