Packers at Lions Preview: Detroit's Offense Should Win a Ford Field Shootout

Lions fans, this one is about firepower. Detroit owns the best scoring offense in this matchup by a mile, and Green Bay comes into Ford Field with a 4-2 record and a defense that has been hard to score on. Detroit sits at 3-2 record-wise, and a home win over the Packers would flip the division picture fast.

Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions | Sunday, Oct. 25 | Kickoff 4:25 PM ET | FOX | Ford Field

Our Take: Detroit's offense should be able to outscore Green Bay at home. The question is whether a Lions defense that has given up nearly 30 points a game can get enough stops against Jordan Love and Christian Watson.

## Expected lineup and depth notes

Jared Goff leads the offense: 128 of 191 for 1,485 yards and 12 touchdowns, per ESPN's season leaders. Jahmyr Gibbs has 105 carries for 504 yards and 7 touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown leads the receivers with 37 catches for 372 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Up front, center Cade Mays is questionable with a wrist injury, which is worth watching against the Green Bay front. On defense, DJ Wonnum leads Detroit with 5 sacks and Jack Campbell leads with 43 tackles. Safety Brian Branch is questionable (Achilles).

For Green Bay, Jordan Love has thrown for 1,684 yards with 11 touchdowns and 4 interceptions on 135 of 226 passing. Christian Watson is the big-play threat: 29 catches, 538 yards and 6 touchdowns. MarShawn Lloyd leads a light rushing attack with 122 yards. Lukas Van Ness has 3.5 sacks and Evan Williams has 52 tackles. Linebacker Zaire Franklin is out.

## Injury report (official game designations, NFL.com Week 7 report)

Lions: S Brian Branch (Achilles) questionable; C Cade Mays (wrist) questionable.

Packers: LB Zaire Franklin (shin) out; G Aaron Banks (knee/toe) questionable; WR Bo Melton (back) questionable; DT Jordon Riley (Achilles) questionable; CB Benjamin St-Juste (hamstring) questionable.

Note: ESPN's injury page also lists Lions S Kerby Joseph (knee) and Packers TE Luke Musgrave as out. Neither appears on the NFL.com game report. We will confirm both at inactives, about 90 minutes before kickoff, and update this Take if anything changes.

## How they stack up (ESPN team stats)

- Scoring: Lions 32.8 points per game, Packers 21.2.
- Total offense: Lions 411.2 yards per game, Packers 340.5.
- Passing: Lions 297.0, Packers 280.7.
- Rushing: Lions 114.2, Packers 59.8.
- Points allowed: Packers 20.8, Lions 29.6.
- Yards allowed: Packers 323.5, Lions 428.4.

Detroit's games have been shootouts, so expect a Ford Field shootout that Detroit's offense should win. The Lions scored 45 at Arizona, 31 against New Orleans in overtime, and 31 in a loss at Buffalo. Green Bay has won four of its last five, including a road overtime win over the Jets and a 31-point outing against Chicago.

## Key storylines

1. Gibbs vs. a short-handed linebacker room. With Franklin out, Green Bay is thin at linebacker. Gibbs, with 7 rushing touchdowns already, is exactly the player who can punish that.

2. Watson over the top. Watson is averaging more than 18 yards a catch. Detroit has allowed 321.4 passing yards per game, and Branch is questionable. This is the matchup that decides whether the Packers keep pace.

3. Packers' run game. Green Bay is averaging under 60 rushing yards a game. If the Lions make them one-dimensional, Wonnum and the pass rush get to tee off.

4. Mays and the middle of the line. A questionable center against a Packers front with Van Ness is something to monitor at inactives.

5. St. Brown in the red zone. Five touchdown catches already. When Detroit gets close, Goff knows where he's going.

## Our pick

The Packers have the better defense, but the Lions have the better offense by a wide margin, and they're at home. Green Bay's run game isn't built to shorten this game. We expect points, and we expect Detroit to have the last word.

Our pick (prediction, not a result): Lions win by seven, 31 to 24.

Sources: ESPN game page · NFL.com Week 7 injury report · NFL.com Week 7 schedule