The NFC North is without a doubt the most competitive division in the NFL, and Thursday night presents a marquee divisional matchup. With the Detroit Lions currently leading the division at 11-1, the 9-3 Green Bay Packers are looking to avenge their 24-14 loss earlier this year.
Since losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2, the Lions have won 10 straight games. Only four of those 10 wins come by a margin of seven points or less. Not only are the Lions winning, but they are also dominating their opponents.
Green Bay has also been on a hot streak as of late, and it’s thanks to the league’s third leading rusher, Josh Jacobs. Jacobs has already surpassed his 2023 rushing total, and he is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. With the Packers on a three-game winning streak (and having won seven of their last eight), Jacobs has become a staple of this offense in the post Aaron Jones era.
Can the Detroit Lions Stop Josh Jacobs?
Detroit’s 24-14 Win
Back on November 3, Detroit came to town and handled the Packers. Green Bay jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Detroit put up a 17-point second quarter and never looked back. Green Bay’s lone touchdown came in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback. While the touchdown did come on the ground, it went to Emmanuel Wilson, not Josh Jacobs.
Jacobs did his best in the 10-point loss. He tallied 13 carries for 95 yards, a respectable 7.3 yards per carry. He also added two catches for 13 yards as the Packers have tried to involve him more in the passing game. It took long enough, but the Lions were the first team to end Jacobs lengthy streak of never receiving a touchdown.
This Detroit Lions defense is incredible, ranking second against the run this season. In three of their 12 games this season, the defense has given up less than 10 points. Two of those games have come in their last three as the Lions gave up just six points to both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts in back-to-back weeks.
Lions Against The Run
Against Chicago on Thanksgiving, the Lions conceded just 78 rushing yards. Both quarterback Caleb Williams and running back D’Andre Swift (a player the Lions know quite well) finished the game with 39 yards each. The week prior against the Colts, Jonathan Taylor was held to just 35 rushing yards. It was the Colts quarterback, Anthony Richardson, who finished with 61 yards on the ground. Before that, the Jaguars running game was non-existent as the Lions held them to just 41 yards. Travis Etienne averaged just 2.3 yards per carry in the Jags loss.
Oddly enough, the last time the Lions gave up more than 100 yards on the ground was against the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay is one of the only teams this season to get to Detroit with the run game, a huge key to the success of both teams in their upcoming matchup. If Josh Jacobs can continue to be the hot hand, Green Bay’s offense will be running at full power and they have a great chance of handing the Lions their second loss of the season.
If Detroit is able to stop Jacobs, Green Bay’s offense will be forced to rely on Jordan Love who has a history of making mistakes when he’s forced to throw. While Love has certainly improved in these last few weeks, Green Bay needs Josh Jacobs to perform well if they want to hand Detroit their first NFC North loss this season.
This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.
