The Detroit Lions will come out of their bye with a simple goal: Keep building momentum and take down the Green Bay Packers. Given the way the divisional rivals have been playing lately, that will be way easier said than done.
The Packers' offense has been one-dimensional this season, and not even Josh Jacobs' return might be enough to fix their broken running game. Even so, Jordan Love is playing at a stellar level, and the Packers' wide receivers can be a problem for the Lions' suspect secondary.
That's why Dan Campbell wants Love to be on his toes from start to finish. He talked about the Packers' quarterback ahead of the game, making it loud and clear that his defense must bring the heat and prevent him from having a clean pocket.
The Lions can't let Jordan Love stand tall in the pocket
“Look, he's dangerous when you just let him rip it out," Campbell said (h/t Brad Galli)." He just lets it go with the quick release, but he's more dangerous when he's able to buy time and that's where he's most deadly. So, we can't let these turn into these five-second plays, six-second plays. I like our chances better than they've been with this front that we've got, but there is a lot more that comes into it.”
Overall, Love has been a bit of a mixed bag against Detroit. He has a 4-4 record against them, including six starts, and he's completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 1,549 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a 97.5 passer rating. Moreover, they've only sacked him seven times in eight games.
The Lions couldn't get to him last season, and it showed. The Packers swept them, and Love was pretty solid with a 65.4 percent completion rate for 422 passing yards, six touchdowns, zero turnovers, and a 128.8 passer rating. That simply cannot happen again.
Green Bay's shaky offensive line can be beaten. They've gotten better in the interior, but left tackle Jordan Morgan has been a turnstile when facing pressure, and Aidan Hutchinson should be able to feast against the Packers' mediocre blindside protector.
As good as Love has been, he's also had a history of putting the ball in harm's way and making erratic decisions at times. It's up to Kelvin Sheppard's defensive front to prevent him from having a clean pocket, especially with Matthew Golden and Christian Watson roaming free against a sloppy cornerback room.
At least, the Lions will get Brian Branch back in the fold, and he should be an additional rusher in certain situations, not to mention another strong run-stopper to force the Packers' offense to stay one-dimensional.
Divisional matchups are always tough, and the Lions can't afford to drop this one. The Packers were a thorn in this team's side last season, and Campbell already knows how to turn the tables again after two tough losses.
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