Packers vs. Lions: The official Week 3 prediction
By Tim Muma
If there was a time for Rodgers and the Packers’ offense to truly break out, Sunday might be the recipe they’ve needed.
The Lions’ defense ranks 26th in total yards allowed after the first two weeks at 406.5 yards per contest.
They’re also giving up 6.4 yards per play, which puts them 28th in the NFL overall. Needless to say, the Packers have a big opportunity here.
While the defense is middle of the road against the run, opposing QBs have a 112.7 passer rating so far. The Lions’ defense ranks 27th in this category.
In Week 1, they gave up 385 passing yards and four touchdown passes to Andrew Luck. The Indianapolis Colts scored 35 points that day and didn’t turn the ball over.
They’re tied for 27th in the NFL, giving up first downs 50 percent of the time (on third down)
Against the Titans last week, Detroit gave up 139 yards on the ground. They did pick off Marcus Mariota, but he completed 76 percent of his passes for 238 yards and two scores.
Part of the Lions problems stem from an ability to get off the field on third down. They’re tied for 27th in the NFL, giving up first downs 50 percent of the time.
The other huge issue has been injuries. Detroit was already playing without linebacker DeAndre Levy among other contributors.
Now they’ll likely be without Ezekiel Ansah for a decent amount of time with an ankle injury. Ansah led the Lions with 14.5 sacks last year.
Linebacker Tahir Whitehead leads the team in tackles with 13, making him one of the bigger threats on that side of the ball.
I don’t see the defense doing much blitzing for fear of giving up the big play to Rodgers. Detroit can still put some pressure on, though Rodgers should have time to throw most of the game.
It would be a surprise if the Lions hold Green Bay under 21 points on Sunday.