1:02 pm
January 9

Packers @ Lions

Who will WIN this matchup?

Green Bay Packers (13-3)

@ Detroit Lions (2-13)

 

Current odds:

Green Bay Packers: (-180)

Detroit Lions: (+160)

 

• The line for this game is Packers by 3.5 points.

• The prevailing question regarding the Green Bay Packers this week is simple: Will coach Matt LaFleur play his starters, including Aaron Rodgers? The Packers locked up the top seed and home-field advantage for the NFC playoffs by defeating the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night. They’ll travel to Detroit for Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Lions with nothing on the line.

• Rodgers, the favorite to win the Most Valuable Player award, has been hobbled by a toe injury for weeks, but it hasn’t affected his performance. He’s thrown 18 touchdown passes without an interception over the past six games. He threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns against the Vikings, while AJ Dillon added two rushing touchdowns in the 37-10 victory over the Vikings.

• The Packers (13-3) carry a five-game winning streak into Detroit. LaFleur said his decisions if and when to pull starters will be a “feel-type thing rather than having a concrete plan.” He doesn’t want to treat it like an exhibition game.

• With the revamped playoff structure, Green Bay will be the only NFC team with a bye. LaFleur will have to balance the potential for injury with the team having to scrape off rust during the conference semifinals.

• Rodgers threw four touchdowns in Green Bay’s 35-17 win over the Lions in September. Detroit has lost its last two games, both on the road, with No. 1 quarterback Jared Goff sidelined first by a COVID positive test and then by a knee injury.

• The Seattle Seahawks thumped the Lions 51-29 on Sunday. Goff’s replacement, former Packer Tim Boyle, threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns but was also picked off three times. Goff, who was limited in practice on Wednesday, is questionable to play on Sunday. Goff said the Lions (2-13-1), who already have clinched a top-two pick in the draft, would like to end the season on a high note.

5/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Green Bay Packers
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