The Detroit Lions get their first crack at an NFC North opponent this season as they host division rival Green Bay at Ford Field today.
“Division games are big, man,” Lions <a You talk about wanting to win a division, you have got to win division games. That's something we weren't able to do last year. And so, that's why those are important. You get two of them. They're really a game and a half if you want to look at it a certain way."
Here are five things to watch out for today in Detroit’s first division matchup of the season:
1. BRANCH & MAYS DEBUT
The Lions are rested coming out of their early Week 6 bye and get an infusion of talent back on the field on both sides of the <a s ready to make his debut for an offensive line that's <a s injury report, but both were activated Saturday and removed from the report so they are good to go.
2. BIG PLAY HUNTING
Green Bay’s offense ranks second in plays of 20-plus yards (27), third in completions of 20-plus yards (24) and first in completions of 50-plus yards (3). Quarterback Jordan Love is one of the best deep-ball passers in the NFL, and he wants to take five or six deep shots per game.
Detroit has allowed 23 completions of 20-plus yards this season, third-most in the NFL. They were much better in that regard Week 5 in Arizona, allowing only three while defending nine passes and recording 12 quarterback hits and five sacks.
The Packers’ dual wide receiver threat of Christian Watson and Matthew Golden both have over 500 receiving yards on the season and rank in the top six in average yards per reception. Can Detroit’s defense limit the big plays in the passing game Green Bay has been so good at racking up early this season?
3. GETTING AFTER LOVE
The strength of the Lions’ defense all season has been the play of the defensive front. Detroit’s 20.0 sacks on the season still lead the league, despite Detroit already having their bye week. The Lions have four different players with at least 3.0 sacks and nine players total with at least a half sack. Aidan Hutchinson’s 32 pressures are the second most in the league. Alim McNeill’s 23 rank first among all interior defenders. Skyler Gill-Howard’s 13 are first among all rookie interior linemen and third among all rookies.
We talked about the Packers’ ability to push the ball down the field and make big plays in the passing game. The best defense for Detroit is a ton of pressure in Love’s face to speed up his clock and not allow those plays to develop down the field.
4. PACKERS RUN GAME BOOST?
Green Bay averages 2.9 yards per carry on the season and ranks at the bottom of the league averaging 59.8 rushing yards per game. Those numbers could get a boost today if All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs is back in the Packers lineup. Jacobs was removed from the commissioner’s exempt list and practiced this week. What that means for his availability today is still yet to be determined.
“They’re probably over there just like we are about (Branch) BB, to be honest with you. You know what I mean? It’s kind of the same for them,” Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said this week. “Everybody’s asking, ‘How much is he going?’ Listen, whenever you could gain an All-Pro player back, obviously that’s going to boost everything. So, it’s just a matter for them just like us, like how much will he do? But we’re prepared to play the player.”
In two seasons with the Packers, Jacobs has 2,394 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns in 32 regular-season games and two playoff games. He has also caught 76 passes for 667 yards and two touchdowns.
Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes (55) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Juice Scruggs (70) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Tate Ratledge (69) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Alim McNeill (54) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Larry Borom (79) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Tyler Lacy (93) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback D.J. Reed (4) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (95) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo (94) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive back Christian Izien (5) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Brock Wright (89) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Skyler Gill-Howard (50) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Tyler Conklin (83) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein (99) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center on Oct. 23, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Advertising
5. TURNOVER BATTLE
The three statistics that impact winning and losing in the NFL more than any others are turnovers, third-down efficiency and red-zone efficiency. The turnover battle is going to be a big one to watch in today’s division matchup.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff has been terrific taking care of the football this season. He’s got 12 touchdowns and no interceptions through five games. The Lions have just one giveaway all season, which is tops in the NFL.
On the flip side, Green Bay’s defense has feasted on creating turnovers. Their nine interceptions lead the league and their 11 total takeaways are tied for the lead. They’ve recorded multiple takeaways in three straight contests and are 43-6 (.878) under head coach Matt LaFleur when forcing multiple turnovers in a game.
