The Green Bay Packers are coming out of the bye, and they may have noticed things got a whole lot tighter in the NFC North during their week off. The Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions both earned victories in Week 5, and it has created a logjam in the NFC North that looks similar to the scene that took place one year ago.
This means that every game is important, and with a loss and a tie coming in their last two games before the bye, it allowed the Lions to climb to the top of the division. But then came Monday with some news that helped close the gap.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell announced that Terrion Arnold will be “out for a long time” (h/t @AdamSchefter) after he aggravated a shoulder injury during Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The move also comes as reserve cornerback Khalil Dorsey will miss extended time due to a wrist injury in Friday’s practice, which may open the door for the Packers to climb back to the top of the division.
Terrion Arnold’s Injury Could Help Packers Climb Back to the Top of the NFC North
The Packers gained the upper hand on Detroit with a 27-13 win in the season opener and a 27-18 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 2. An upset loss to the Cleveland Browns sent them back to reality before a special teams mistake turned what could have been a win over the Dallas Cowboys into a tie that could have long-term playoff implications.
Meanwhile, the Lions rattled off four straight wins to climb to the top of the division and have been in the driver’s seat ever since. But while their offensive woes at Lambeau Field turned out to be a bad day at the office, they’ve also found themselves fighting off a slew of injuries in the cornerback room.
CB D.J. Reed was the first to go down after suffering a hamstring injury that placed him on injured reserve. Arnold told Woodward Sports after the game that he had been playing at “about 75%” due to the shoulder and a groin injury suffered against the Packers, and Dorsey’s injury takes another jab at the depth the Lions were trying to build all offseason.
The Lions rank 12th in the league with 206.6 passing yards allowed per game entering Monday night, but that number is sure to spike as Amik Robertson, Tre Flowers, and Rock Ya-Sin are the current projected starters, according to the unofficial depth chart at Ourlads.
While Detroit could solve this by making a trade, it leaves them scrambling to stay ahead of a Packers team that got Aaron Banks, Nate Hobbs, and Zach Tom back to the practice field on Monday.
Green Bay will be looking to get back in the win column against Cincinnati in Week 6. If that happens and Detroit stumbles against the Kansas City Chiefs, it could be enough for the Packers to take one step closer to stealing back the NFC North crown.