The Green Bay Packers (6-3) are back after a bye week to face a mediocre Detroit Lions (4-5) team at Ford Field.
The Packers are starting to get healthy (although not that healthy), while Detroit is starting to get desperate.
Who’s not going to play?
The Packers will be without Clay Matthews, Greg Jennings and Charles Woodson. Sam Shields is questionable, but the Packers should have Jordy Nelson, Mike Neal, Jerel Worthy and John Kuhn back. The Lions will be without starting safeties Louis Delmas and Amari Spievey, which is good news for the Packers passing game. Defensive tackle Corey Williams has also been ruled out. Cornerback Chris Houston and receiver Calvin Johnson are questionable.
Who should I bet on?
The Packers are favored by three. The way the Lions lost 34-24 to the Vikings last week, they look like they’re ready to get a fork stuck in them. Take the Packers.
What to Watch For
The Packers pass rush
This will be the first game Clay Matthews misses this season (and hopefully the last). Dezman Moses is expected to start in his place. Will Moses and Erik Walden be able to pick up the slack? They’ll have help from Jerel Worthy, Mike Neal and C.J. Wilson. Hopefully, that will be enough. If it isn’t, the Packers could be in trouble.
James Starks returning to form
The Packers have moved back to Starks as their No. 1 running back. He responded with 61 yards on 17 carries (3.6 average) against Arizona. If Starks can return to the form he displayed during the Packers playoff run in 2010, this offense could be really dangerous. It will be interesting to see what the Packers do with Starks against the Lions and how he responds.
A shootout
Remember the last time these two teams met? It was a 45-41 Packers victory where Matt Flynn set the team record for passing yards (480) and touchdowns (6). Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was just as good, throwing for 520 and five touchdowns. In other words, not a lot of defense. With the injuries for both teams on the defensive side of the ball, it could happen again.
Turds