After three straight wins, the Green Bay Packers have gone from 1-2 to 4-2 and gotten their season back on track. To make it four in a row, they will have to get past a well-rested 3-2 Detroit Lions team coming off a bye week.
Green Bay handled Dallas last Sunday night 23-13, a score that was not indicative of how one-sided it really was. Jordan Love should’ve put up better numbers than 276 yards through the air and one passing touchdown if his receivers hadn’t come down with a case of the drops.
Thankfully, the defense intercepted Dak Prescott twice in Packers’ territory to wipe away a couple of Cowboys’ scoring opportunities. Takeaways have been a calling card for this defense, but they are about to face an offense that has turned the ball over an NFL-low one time all season.
Tied for first in points per game and fourth in yards per game, Detroit’s offense is extremely talented. Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Sam LaPorta can beat you in a variety of ways, but Green Bay is the hotter team.
Here are three key matchups to watch in what is a highly anticipated NFC North showdown:
Packers RB Josh Jacobs vs. Lions run defense
Fresh off the Commissioner's Exempt list, Jacobs hopes to make his season debut against the Lions after sitting out the first six games. The Packers’ run game has been in dire straits without him, ranking dead last in the league in total rushing yards (359), rushing yards per game (59.8), and yards per carry (2.9).
In two seasons with Green Bay, Jacobs has rushed for 2,258 yards and 28 touchdowns, averaging 70.6 yards per game and 4.2 yards per carry.
It’s still to be determined how Jacobs will play, but he shouldn’t need 20 carries to give the ground game a boost. Pierre Strong Jr. was their leading rusher last week with 28 yards on 11 attempts. If Jacobs is back, the Packers might have more success against Detroit’s 15th-ranked run defense.
Packers WR Matthew Golden vs. Lions CB DJ Reed
Multiple drops kept Golden from having a career day in last week’s win over the Cowboys, but he still eclipsed 100 receiving yards for the third time in four games and caught his third receiving touchdown for the year.
Golden has hit the ground running in Year 2 and looks like a budding star. His 30 receptions are the most on the team, and he’s sixth in the league with 501 receiving yards.
Due to size, the Lions could have Reed (5-9) matched up with Golden (5-11) rather than the towering 6-4 Christian Watson. Reed has been a weak spot for a struggling Detroit pass defense. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s allowed 17.1 yards per reception and a 124.2 passer rating against his coverage. Golden could be in store for another big week.
Packers run defense vs. Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs
Goff is second in passer rating, third in passing yards per game, and tied for fourth in passing touchdowns, but is still not the scariest part of Detroit’s offense. Gibbs has already rushed for seven touchdowns this season, and his 503 rushing yards are the fifth-most despite having an early bye week. Not to mention, he’s a dangerous receiving threat.
Gibbs wouldn’t be the first premier running back to terrorize the Packers this season. When asked if they had learned anything from Bijan Robinson’s 194-yard performance in Week 3 while preparing for Gibbs, Matt LaFleur didn’t mince words.
“Sure. Lessons on what not to do," LaFleur said.
Green Bay is coming off a strong outing in which they held Dallas’ Javonte Williams to just 41 rushing yards last week, but Gibbs will be a tougher matchup for a run defense that has shown vulnerability this season.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers vs. Lions: 3 key matchups to watch in Week 7