Lions' Road to Winning NFC North Just Got Harder After Packers Trade

Heading into the 2025 season, the belief was that the Detroit Lions would be the frontrunners to win the NFC North again. 

The Lions lost both of their coordinators in the offseason to head coaching jobs, which many think could derail their chances of winning the division. However, with Detroit’s high-powered offense and playmakers on defense, it would be a shock to see them finish in second place this season.

But that was until the Green Bay Packers decided to make a blockbuster trade for a superstar pass rusher on Thursday, which now makes this division race one of the more interesting to follow.

Packers Acquire Superstar Pass Rusher Micah Parsons from Dallas Cowboys

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Packers traded two first-round picks and star defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys for Micah Parsons. 

Furthermore, Green Bay and Parsons agreed to a four-year, $188 million contract, including $136 million guaranteed. This means that Lions are projected to see Parsons in a Packers’ uniform a lot over the next four years.

As you can imagine, Lions fans weren’t exactly excited about this news. They would have preferred Parsons to go anywhere else in the NFC and not end up in their division. 

Last year, the Lions swept the two-game season series over the Green Bay. Detroit beat Green Bay, 24-14, at Lambeau Field in Week 9. Then, five weeks later, the Lions escaped with a 34-31 win over Green Bay at Ford Field.

This season’s matchups might not be a shootout like we saw in Week 14 last season, but they could be closer now with the addition of Parsons. The Packers’ defense was already solid, but one thing they were missing was a bona fide pass rusher.

They got that now with Parsons, and it will be up to the Lions’ offensive line to do their job and protect Jared Goff when these teams meet this season. The first matchup between these two divisional foes is scheduled for Week 1 at Lambeau Field.

It’s unclear if Parsons will play in the opener, given that he’s switching teams and has to learn the new playbook. However, if the star edge rusher does play, the Lions must keep an eye on him. After Week 1, the next matchup between the two teams will be on Thanksgiving at Ford Field.

According to the oddsmakers, the Packers are now the slight favorite at +175 on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the Lions sitting right there at +180. We will see if Dan Campbell and his crew are ready for this new challenge to overcome.

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