With the Green Bay Packers not set to play until Monday night, the team, along with its fans, got a chance to see what the rest of the NFC North looked like in Week 10.
In the 1 p.m. ET window, the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants, thanks to a surprising fourth-quarter comeback, while the Minnesota Vikings lost at home to the Baltimore Ravens. But in the 4 p.m. ET window, the Packers witnessed the Detroit Lions sending a message to the rest of the NFC North with a throttling 44-22 blowout win over the Washington Commanders.
After those results from Sunday, the Packers now have a fight on their hands for the NFC North crown. While the Bears will likely factor into the equation, all signs point to the division coming down to the Lions and Packers, like we all expected.
However, it won’t be easy for the Packers, who have one more meeting against the Lions in Week 13 after handling Detroit in Week 1 at Lambeau Field.
Packers Must Be on High Alert Following Lions’ Impressive Week 10 Showing
The Lions team we saw on Sunday against the Commanders looked very dangerous with head coach Dan Campbell calling the plays on the offense. Detroit ran the ball effectively with Jahmyr Gibbs (142 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 15 carries) and got everybody involved in the passing game, which saw Jameson Williams (six receptions for 119 yards and a TD) finally have his breakout game.
Granted, it was the Commanders’ defense, which isn’t much to write home about. But to see the Lions’ offense clicking on all cylinders and moving the ball with ease is something Green Bay fans have been clamoring for, with head coach Matt LaFleur calling the plays on offense.
The Packers’ offense is loaded with talent at WR and has one of the better running backs in the league in Josh Jacobs. Green Bay is scoring 25.8 points per game (11th) and averaging 5.9 yards per play (6th), but it's only averaging a dismal 4.0 yards per carry (26th).
Part of that falls on the players not executing, but also LaFleur, the playcaller. The Packers have the weapons to take more vertical shots down the field, but they don’t do it. Meanwhile, we saw Campbell get the ball in Williams’ hands along with Amon-Ra St. Brown, and good things happen.
LaFleur should be doing the same thing, especially with first-round pick Matthew Golden, who has a blistering 4.29 40-yard dash speed. If Campbell has another good showing in Week 11 as a playcaller, it will only increase the pressure on LaFleur to step his game up.
The Packers were considered favorites to win the division after they got star pass rusher Micah Parsons. But this team has been sleepwalking and dropping winnable games to teams like the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, and Dallas Cowboys.
Thus far, those two losses and that tie haven’t come back to haunt Green Bay, but looking at the NFC North standings at the end of Week 10, the Packers could find themselves in third place if they lose on Monday night to the Philadelphia Eagles.
After Monday's game against the Eagles and next week’s game against the Giants, Green Bay will have three consecutive division games, which will really test LaFleur and whether this Packers team is ready to go head-to-head with the Lions.