Early Bird Breakdown Week 17 – Packers @ Lions

Early Bird Breakdown Week 17 – Packers @ Lions

Hello and welcome back to Early Bird Breakdown. It’s the final week of the regular season and with the Packers out of playoff contention the final week of Early Bird Breakdown for this season.. Before diving into the breakdown, let’s look back to last week’s game.

The Recap:

Last week the Packers hosted the Vikings and for the first time in Lambeau history the Vikings shut out the Packers on the scoreboard. The offense and the playcalling were both suspect for the Packers but the defense played well in a 16-0 game that was ugly to watch.

The Breakdown:

Packers’ Offense vs Lions’ Defense:

Twice now Hundley led offenses have failed to put up a single point and while I can’t imagine the Lions shutting out the Packers it’s hard to see the offense doing enough to win the game here. The Packers troubles extend beyond the quarterback as well, in recent weeks the receivers have had issues securing passes and the body language of the team looks like one that is already feeling defeated.

For the Packers to have a chance they will need to move the ball consistently on the ground to keep drives alive. While the Lions defense is not particularly good, this is more of an indictment on the offense’s current ability.

Packers’ Defense vs Lions’ Offense:

The Packers defense will likely sit a number of banged up starters, including Damarious Randall and Clay Matthews once again. I would not be surprised if Mike Daniels sits as well just because this game has no significance either. As such, the Packers will be short handed against a good Lions offense that is 6th overall in passing yards per game. The defense also likely will be more exploited by the more dynamic offense of Detroit than the Vikings did.

The Weather:

The Lions play in a dome so weather is not a factor.

The Prediction:

At this point from a fan-base perspective this game is one that both teams would rather lose in the long run to improve their draft stock. In terms of the personnel, both coaches likely are playing for their jobs and will be desperate for a win to try and avoid the unemployment line. However at this point the Packers really have shown weaknesses Rodgers has covered up for years that have been concerning to those who have been paying attention. I think there simply is less talent collectively on Green Bay than in Detroit, couple that with the Packers forced to play their backup quarterback. Maybe this is wishful thinking, but hopefully a loss also leads to a nice late Christmas present of a new front office and coaching staff. I think the Lions win 27-20.