🏈Opening Kickoff
Yeah, this game was over a week ago, but I could not pass up the opportunity to recap such a fun win. The Packers beat the Lions 31-24 on Thanksgiving, moved to 8-3-1, and completed the season sweep of Detroit, officially proving that Week 1 was no fluke. It was one of Green Bay’s most enjoyable wins of the year, and it felt like the kind of performance that says a lot about who this team can be down the stretch.
🗞️The Headline Recap
Once this game got rolling, Jordan Love and Dontayvion Wicks took over. Love was dialed in from the jump, attacking Detroit’s secondary with confidence, and Wicks quickly emerged as the go-to weapon the Lions had no answer for. Any time the Packers needed a spark, the Love-to-Wicks connection delivered it, helping Green Bay build and maintain control in what initially looked like it might turn into a Thanksgiving shootout.
Matt LaFleur matched the moment with one of his most aggressive game plans of the season, highlighted by a gutsy, perfectly executed fourth-down call with two minutes left in the game that was the dagger. It was the type of decision that signals real trust in Love and the offense, one that fans have been waiting for.
Meanwhile, the defense settled in as the afternoon went on. Detroit kept pace with the Packers for a while, but once Micah Parsons started heating up, the momentum skewed in favor of Green Bay. His 2 sacks and constant pressure helped slam the door on any Lions comeback attempt.
On a national stage, with the whole country watching, the Packers put on an explosive offensive performance to complete the season sweep of Detroit and remind everyone exactly how dangerous they can be when all three phases show up in even the smallest of capacities.
🤓By The Numbers
The Packers have swept the Lions for the first time since 2020.
The Packers have won 11 of their last 12 matchups against the Bears.
The Packers have a 67% chance of winning the NFC North with a win on Sunday and just a 22% chance if they lose, according to Sportsline.
The Packers defense is allowing a league lowest 3.3% explosive play rate. They have also allowed a league low YAC of 4.2.
📈Stock Report 📉
Stock Up
Dontayvion Wicks - The young wideout looked like the Packers' WR1 in Detroit, hauling in 6 catches for 94 yards and his first two TDs of the season. He also made the game-sealing catch on an unbelievable 4th down play where he lost his shoe in the process. Hopefully this continues with Tucker Kraft out and the Packers offense needing to keep stepping up heading into December.
Matt LaFleur - I have to give credit where it's due. Matt LaFleur called a fantastic game against the Lions, one where it felt like he was trying to win the whole time, not just avoid losing. Matt, if you're reading this, please keep it up against the Bears.
Anthony Belton - The project RT the Packers reached on in the 2nd round of the draft appears to have found a new home as the Packers starting RG, and he’s been more than serviceable!
Stock Down
Christian Watson - I love Christian Watson and still think he is great. But he had a few really bad drops against the Lions that I thought he had outgrown.
Rashan Gary - Given the Packers’ extremely tight cap room situation, I just don’t see how he stays on the team next year. With how he has played this year I expect Gary to be a cap casualty, as the Packers would save ~$10m if they cut him in the spring.
Keisean Nixon - Despite exceeding my expectations as the Packers’ starting cornerback, Nixon still commits way too many penalties and is one of the few guys I’m truly worried about on the Packers defense right now.
🔥 Quick Hits
Reinforcements are on the way. The Packers designated RB MarShawn Lloyd and DE Brenton Cox Jr. for return from IR, opening their 21-day practice windows on Monday.
EDGE Lukas Van Ness will continue to miss some time with his foot injury. In his return against Detroit, he played just 6 snaps before having to exit the game and was seen wearing a walking boot again this week. “It just doesn’t feel quite right yet” according to Van Ness.
DT Devonte Wyatt is out for the season after breaking his ankle against the Lions. A huge loss for the interior of the Packers’ defensive line.
🏆 The Big Take from Brian
Boy, does it feel sweet to beat the Lions at Ford Field on Thanksgiving. For months, the Packers heard it all from Lions fans: how "Week 1 was a different team" and "November would be a different story." But in the end, Matt LaFleur stole Dan Campbell's signature risk-taking flair and produced a win with it.
This win felt like a heat check that can set the tone for the rest of the season. In some ways, every game at this point in the season is, but this felt eerily similar to 2023 when, on the same day against the same team, the Packers really got going and started their hot streak as the team nobody wanted to see in the playoffs. After months of looming questions and inconsistency, this Packers team has the opportunity to do the exact same thing. It feels like they’re coming together at the perfect moment after huge wins over the Vikings and Lions.
It was another week of one side of the ball showing up and not the other. In this case, the offense showed up and the defense did just barely enough, but it was a better version of this than we've been accustomed to. This was against an actual good team, and it wasn't like the Dallas game where the defense was nonexistent the entire time. Both sides of the ball were a lot more in sync than they have been, and it was on a short week too. You can just feel it coming together, especially with even more reinforcements on the way in guys like Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Marshawn Lloyd, Quay Walker, etc. And now, the stage is really set…
👀Looking Ahead
Bears week is here, but this time it feels a bit different. As you probably know, the Bears currently possess the #1 seed in the entire NFC and are a half game ahead of the Packers. If the Packers beat them on Sunday, though, they fall all the way down to #6 or #7. The Packers and Bears have, in my biased opinion, the most iconic and heated rivalry in all of sports. However, it has been pretty one-sided recently. This is the first time in quite a while that both teams are still good at this point in the season, making this without a doubt the most high-stakes matchup since 2013, when the rivals met in Week 17 with a trip to the playoffs on the line for both squads. The biggest matchup in 12 years is upon us, and in two weeks when we do it again, it might be even bigger.
That's why even despite how dominant Green Bay has been against Chicago the past few decades, it still feels like the weight of the world rests on the Packers winning this game. Because to the credit of Bears fans (I guess?), they will make us feel like this was the only game ever played between the two teams if they win. To their credit, they have continued to show up and make this the world's greatest rivalry over the years despite how one-sided it's been. As a result, the players, coaches, and fans involved want this win more than any game all season long, I can guarantee it.
The stakes were high enough as is, the winner will be leading the division and maybe the entire conference to kick off December. But the personal stakes take this to an entirely new level. If the Packers lose this game, you won't be hearing from me for a long, long time. (Just kidding, the Packers are gonna win.)
👇Final Thoughts
“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” - Vince Lombardi
Till next time,
Packerscoverage
Brian Pedretti