Battle of the Beasts

The calendar has turned to November, and the Green Bay Packers are looking to make it a month to remember. After an October schedule that saw them catch a couple of breaks, November looks to be the most grueling portion of Green Bay’s season. Starting with this week, the Packers will play three playoff teams in a span of 25 days, capping it off with a Thanksgiving Day game against the Miami Dolphins. The first order of business is the Detroit Lions, who are the class of the NFC North in the early portion of the season. They’re the defending champions of the division and could have played for the Super Bowl if not for a second half collapse in the NFC Championship Game. There has been no hangover in Detroit. The Lions are 6-1, and entering Lambeau Field with a chance to put a stranglehold on the NFC North. The Packers are going to need to play their best game to knock them off. Here are the keys to doing just that. Packers’ run defense vs. Lions’ backfield Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery form one of the best thunder and lightning backfield combinations in all of football. Gibbs is the lightning version of that and certainly lives up to the phrasing of lightning in a bottle. Montgomery is the workhorse. His numbers may not be gaudy, but he’s been a perfect fit for Detroit’s physical offensive identity. Last year against the Packers at Lambeau Field, Montgomery started slow, but as the game wore on, he continued to get better. Runs that went for two yards in the first half went for five or six yards in the second half. Green Bay’s run defense has been up and down this season. They struggled against Joe Mixon two weeks ago but also shut down the Arizona Cardinals dynamic run game in early October. One of the biggest advantages that Detroit has is their ability to remain balanced. Jared Goff is really good in the play-action pass game. In the first of two matchups last year, Detroit ran for more than 200 yards, and Montgomery piled up three touchdowns as the Packers were blown out at Lambeau Field. The Lions ran for more than 140 in the second matchup, but it was not nearly as dominant of a performance as it was the first time around. The Packers’ defense made enough big plays to slow down Detroit’s powerful offense. It’s unlikely they’ll be able to rely on big plays and takeaways, so they’ll need to slow down Detroit’s offense more traditionally. That starts with stopping their dynamic ground game. Turnovers One of the biggest reasons that Green Bay was able to beat the Lions on Thanksgiving last year was their ability to make big plays. They started the game with a big completion to Christian Watson. That drive was finished off with a touchdown. On defense, the Packers sacked Goff four times and forced three fumbles, including returning one for a touchdown. That does not account for the Packers stopping the Lions on a fake punt as well. Essentially, they forced four turnovers on that day. Green Bay’s defense is toward the top of the NFL in taking the ball away at the halfway point of the season. Detroit’s offense, however, does not give the ball away. Coming into Sunday’s action, the Lions had only given the ball away five times. It’s a case of the unstoppable force that meets an immovable object. Games like these typically come down to who makes the biggest plays in big spots. Detroit takes the ball away like Green Bay does as well. The Packers won two weeks ago against the Houston Texans despite being minus-3 in the turnover battle. The Packers will not able to get away with that this week. Winning the turnover battle will be paramount to winning the game. Jeff Hafley vs Ben Johnson Jeff Hafley has won the hearts of Wisconsin with the performance of his defense through the first half of the season. They take the ball away. They’re exotic and multiple. They’re not perfect, but they are much more aesthetically pleasing than the defense run by either of his first two predecessors. Ben Johnson was one of the top head coach candidates in last year’s coaching cycle. Johnson eschewed becoming a head coach to remain in Detroit for what everyone in the Lions’ organization is hoping can be a special season. If Green Bay’s defense continues on its trajectory, Hafley and Johnson could be hot candidates when the coaching carousel picks up again this winter. For this weekend, however, this is a battle of wits that should be fascinating to watch. Hafley has become adept at simulating pressures to make opposing passers uncomfortable, including Houston’s C.J. Stroud. Johnson has been excellent at keeping his quarterback comfortable. Each coordinator will win a down or series. Whoever makes the best adjustment or calls the best plays situationally will go a long way toward winning the game.