Monday Night – Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers

The Packers and Lions are always fun to watch. They’re old division rivals, but even more than that, they were recently matched up during one of Aaron Rodgers’ magical hail mary plays. I guess it was almost 2 years ago at this point… but you know the memory lives on and you can guarantee the Lions haven’t forgotten. It will be the only thing that’s talked about if the Packers are trailing late in the 4th quarter. I have a feeling this one won’t be a 1-score game coming down to the wire though…

Keys to the Game

Lions

If they Lions want to be competitive, this is a must-win division game for them. I know it’s in Green Bay at Lambeau Field, but that only makes it more important. If Detroit can’t compete at Lambeau, they won’t compete in the playoffs. Without the defensive talent to contain Green Bay, the Lions will need another big game out of Stafford and the offense. They can pile up the points quickly and they’re going to need one of their best efforts on Monday night to take down Rodgers and company. They just might need to drop a 40-spot at Lambeau to walk away victorious.

Packers

Green Bay needs to find a way to slow this game down and derail the Lions’ offense. While Aaron Rodgers can sling with the best of them, getting into a track meet with the Lions is always dangerous — you never know what Matt Stafford has up his sleeve. It will be much easier to win this game with a slow and steady approach, keeping the ball away from Stafford and getting under his skin. It won’t be easy, but getting the running game going will go a long way for the Packers on a cold November night in Green Bay. That will open things up down the field for Rodgers and Jordy Nelson to strike big when they need to.