The matchup a Lions insider keeps coming back to ahead of Sunday is not Detroit’s secondary against Green Bay’s receivers. It is the Lions’ defensive front against Jordan Love’s internal clock.
The Detroit Lions host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET at Ford Field. Green Bay is 4-2 and Detroit is 3-2, both chasing 5-0 Minnesota in the NFC North, and both sit in the conference’s wild-card group with the Packers sixth and the Lions seventh.
The plan to slow Jordan Love starts up front
Tim Twentyman of Lions.com answered reader questions in his Friday mailbag. One fan asked, “How do we slow down Jordan Love? Play sticky or play zone. Our d line will hold its own.”
Twentyman started with the shape of the Green Bay offense.
“The Packers go big-play hunting more than any other offense in the NFL in terms of shots they take down the field in the passing game,” he wrote. “Wide receivers Christian Watson (18.6) and Matthew Golden (16.7) both rank in the top six in average yards per reception and both have more than 500 receiving yards on the year. The Packers want to take five or six shots per game, and Love trusts his receivers to go make the plays. He will throw to them in coverage.
“I believe this is a game where the defensive front must come to play. That’s been the strength of this football team all season long. They must make it uncomfortable for Love and speed up his clock so he can’t take those shots down the field. That’s the key matchup Sunday for me. Then it’s up to the defensive backs to win at the catch point on the 50-50 balls.”
Lions have recorded 20 sacks in five games
Detroit’s defense has recorded 20 sacks in five games, which is the evidence behind Twentyman’s point. Getting to the quarterback has been the one thing this defense does reliably well.
The problem is what happens on the snaps when the rush does not get home. The Lions are giving up 428.4 yards per game, and that number has not moved in the right direction all season. Green Bay’s offense averages 340.5 yards per game, so the Packers do not need volume to hurt Detroit. They need the five or six snaps Twentyman described.
Green Bay will take its shots either way
Watson and Golden are going to run down the field on Sunday whether Detroit’s rush is winning or not. That is how Green Bay plays. The question is whether Love gets to stand there and wait for them.
If the Lions do not get after Love, it is going to be another long afternoon for a secondary that has been the soft spot on this team all year.