Into The Lion's Den

Packers vs Lions: Gameday Preview - 2025 Week 13

What would the holidays be without Green Bay Packers' football? The Packers have played on at least Thanksgiving or Christmas each season for the last five years. Today, it's another visit to Detroit for turkey day with the Packers taking on the Lions at 12 PM CST. On Sunday, the 7-3-1 Packers pulled off a 23-6 defensive drubbing of the Minnesota Vikings to kick off their divisional matchup streak. The 7-4 Lions were also victorious, but they just barely pulled off a 34-27 OT win over the New York Giants, where some questionable decisions late by the Giants likely saved Detroit. Today is a huge game that will undoubtedly have playoff implications in the end.

The last time these two teams met was week 1 on September 7th, when the Packers basically shocked the league with a 27-13 victory over the Lions that wasn't as close as it looks. The Packers held Detroit out of the endzone all game long until the Lions finally scored a TD with 55 seconds left in the game in what was essentially garbage time. Jordan Love went 16/22 for 188 yards and two touchdowns. Josh Jacobs had 19 carries for 66 yards and a score, but the main show was put on by the defense, sacking Jared Goff four times and Evan Williams getting an interception. Things have changed since these teams last met, but the Packers will be looking to put on a similar performance today.

This past Sunday, the Packers finally played a game with contributions from the offense, defense, and wefense (special teams). The defense absolutely suffocated Minnesota's offense, only allowing 145 total net yards. The Packers' running game actually netted more yards than the entire Minnesota offense, with 146 yards rushing. Special teams forced a turnover on a punt for the first time in ages, which may have been the play of the game. Many have complained that the offense was not aggressive enough. I agree that in a game against a rival like the Vikings, as a fan, you just want to step on their throat all game long and run up the score. But from a Matt LaFleur perspective, I understand being conservative. We are unsure of the status of Jordan Love's left shoulder. The last thing we need heading into today's game is an even further banged-up Jordan Love or even no Jordan Love. So, I understand LaFleur not wanting to put Love in harm's way with the defense basically shutting down the Vikings' hopes of a comeback.

It's our third straight game on Thanksgiving, let's go get some more turkey legs.

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Into The Lion's Den - Packer Transplants Live 313

Aaron and Corey are back for another Packer Transplants Live as we quickly move on from a dominant win over the Vikings and get ready for a huge Thanksgiving showdown with the Lions.

Packers Need to Pressure Goff Into Mistakes

Few things can change the entire makeup of a football game like pressure and turnovers. Look no further than the last two games for the Green Bay Packers. Two weeks ago, they were nursing a one-score lead against the New York Giants when Evan Williams finally got his hands on an interception and ended the threat. A few plays later, a Micah Parsons strip-sack recovered by Rashan Gary ended the game, and the Packers sent the fans home happy.

This past week against the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers managed not 1, not 2, but 3 turnovers, which helped put pressure on an already struggling young J.J. McCarthy. The biggest play in that game was a fumbled punt by Minnesota that gave the Packers the football in the Vikings’ red zone, and that was all that was needed to put Green Bay in front for good. A swarming pass rush led to two other turnovers by the Vikings and contributed to the Packers’ utter defensive domination against their division rival.

With Green Bay right in the middle of a three-game divisional gauntlet, Thanksgiving against the Lions in Detroit will likely be the toughest matchup of the three. Even with the Lions currently on the outside of the playoff picture, they are still a very good football team that doesn’t lose at home or on Thanksgiving very often. It’s a big reason why they continue to be the early game on our TVs every year. There’s no understating what this game means for Green Bay. A season sweep would give them a head-to-head edge and would make next week’s game against the Bears a first-place matchup. If the Packers are going to win Thursday, they’ll need to steal a possession via a turnover.

The Lions’ offensive line heading into Thursday is pretty beat up, which could aid Green Bay’s efforts. Center Graham Glasgow has missed both estimated practices with a knee injury and is Out. Both of their stalwart offensive tackles are limited this week as well—Taylor Decker with a shoulder injury and Penei Sewell. Both are likely to go, but having them limited in any form or fashion would be a welcome sight for Packers fans.

In the Week 1 matchup this season, the Packers pressured Goff all day and forced him into a mistake via an interception. They had four sacks and hit Goff a total of nine times back in September, holding his passer rating to a mediocre 88.6. If the Packers can repeat last week’s performance—where four players combined for 5 sacks (with Gary adding a strip-sack/interception)—then they can make it a very unjoyful holiday for this Lions offense. The Packers enter this game riding a hot streak of takeaways, and if they can continue that trend for a third straight week and steal a possession or two from Goff and the Lions, then Green Bay will be well on their way to tripling their divisional wins from a season ago.

Complementary Football? In This Economy?

Aaron Nagler and Andy Herman break down Green Bay’s 23–6 win over the Minnesota Vikings and look ahead to today’s huge showdown with the Detroit Lions.

Packers Recent Success on Thanksgiving in Detroit

The Green Bay Packers continue their stretch of three straight NFC North games with a showdown between the two-time defending division champion Detroit Lions.

If the Packers are to continue a quest for their first division championship since 2021, defeating the Lions for the second time in three years on Thanksgiving will go a long way toward achieving that goal. The Week 13 NFC North matchup between the Packers and Lions will be the 8th game on Thanksgiving between the two teams since 2001.

In the previous seven games, the Packers hold a 5-2 advantage over their neighbors to the East.

The Packers’ Quest For Fun

Football seasons are like roller coasters, they go by pretty fast, you go way up, come crashing down, up, down, up, down, and every now and again a kid pukes on the ride. That is to say, there are high’s, low’s, and a fair amount of unpredictability.

The Packers have embodied this amusement park chaos like the Griswold’s en route to Wally World, except instead of Aunt Edna dying, Tucker Kraft tore his ACL.

Indeed, the 2025 Packers have been on a wild ride. We probably should’ve known this season would be goofy when the Packers hosted the NFL Draft for the first time ever and then finally drafted a wide receiver in the 1st round. Then, just days before the season started, the Packers shocked the world on a Luka-to-the-Lakers level, trading for the best defensive player in football.

Seemingly shot out of a cannon, the Packers looked like world beaters in weeks 1 and 2 – only to nosedive in week 3. Then they tied in Dallas, beat the Aaron Rodgers-led Steelers on the road, then lost to Bryce Young-led Panthers at home. Along the way they lost Kraft, but also Elgton Jenkins, and Jayden Reed for a long stretch. Now Jordan Love and Josh Jacobs are nursing injuries. Such is life in the next man up NFL.

Like a road trip in the metallic pea Family Truckster, this Packers season hasn’t always gone according to plan. It was just two weeks ago when a not-insignificant portion of the fan base was calling for LaFleur’s job and questioning the talents of their GM.

Love still has his doubters, too, despite a winning record, weekly highlight reel throws, and a gritty willingness to play through injury. Rashan Gary is also dealing with fan backlash, despite being tied for 11th, league-wide, in sacks (ahead of TJ Watt, and just one sack behind Aidan Hutchinson). And yes, Matthew Golden still hasn’t caught a touchdown.

Certainly, the expectations are exceedingly high in Green Bay this year, and fans seem to think every game should be a blowout victory. But that’s never the way in the NFL. Struggle and adversity are always part of the journey. The Packers, to their mature and well-managed credit, have handled it well.

Like the Griswald’s, the Packers’ date with destiny lies in California. Super Bowl LX takes place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on February 8th. Getting there is half the fun.

Use Malik Willis to Surprise Familiar Opponents

Even if it’s for just a series or a handful of plays, the Packers offense can make use of backup quarterback Malik Willis to keep their upcoming opponents off balance. 

While there is no doubt that Love is the Packers starting quarterback, LaFleur has some options to use Willis in different ways to keep opposing defenses off balance. This would be especially helpful against teams like the Lions and Bears who are so familiar with LaFleur’s game plans.

First, LaFleur could bring Willis in at quarterback for a series or two per game. This would force defenses to prepare for a completely different style of offense. Willis can run the football himself, or he can hand off or pitch to Josh Jacob, Emanuel Wilson or whoever the Packers want to give the football to. They can also fake end arounds or jet sweeps and utilize Willis to throw a short pass behind the line of scrimmage after defenders have already committed to the run.

Another option would be to put both Willis and Love on the field at the same time for two or three plays per game. They could utilize Willis as a running back or a receiver to get him the ball in space. Or they could lateral to Willis and have him throw the ball downfield. Willis could also serve as a decoy on some plays and then get the ball or throw the ball on others.

There is an obvious risk to having both quarterbacks on the field at the same time. You don’t want either to get injured of course and Willis’ ability to run the football would expose him to contact. But if we’re talking about two or three plays per game, the risk isn’t significant. The different formation with two quarterbacks adds an element of surprise the first time you use it and forces opposing defenses to prepare for it after that.

In addition, LaFleur could do what he loves to do in that formation: run different plays out of identical formations. Again, this would keep the defense guessing and open up the possibility of a splash play or just an effective gain on a run or pass.

Love is the starter, and Willis is a quality backup. But his distinct skill set could give the Packers some different options on offense IF LaFleur is willing to explore them.

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