The Detroit Lions vs Green Bay Packers is always a classic, but knowing the NFC North title is on the line gives today’s game an edge in the excitement department. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has been the most successful quarterback at home, but the Lions have the league’s second-ranked defense and would like nothing more than to win the division crown on the road against their nemesis. Though other Week 17 games have more playoff intrigue, today’s Lions vs Packers game is the most dramatic. If you can’t watch on TV, you can watch Lions vs Packers game online free live stream as well.
Kickoff for today’s Lions vs Packers game live is scheduled for 4:25 EST / 1:25 PST from Lambeau Field. Las Vegas has the Packers as 7.5-point favorites over the Lions, a pretty hefty line considering both teams are 11-4 headed into their final game of the regular season.
Remember that stat about the Lions having the No. 2 defense in the NFL? That’s a bit misleading. While accurate, the ranking reflects their average points allowed (2nd), yards allowed (2nd) and rushing yards allowed (1st). Against the pass, however, Detroit’s ranked just 13th.
Normally that would give Packers QB Aaron Rodgers something to hang onto, but as we watch Packers game online free today we’ll see an offense that tends to sputter if its run game is stifled. And that’s just what Detroit does. Packers RB Eddie Lacy has had an up and down season, though he’s still averaged 4.7 yards per carry on his way to another 1,000-yard season through 16 weeks. Yet Detroit defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh requires a double-team every play, giving Detroit an extra man to stop running backs like Lacy.
Suh’s influence has also allowed Detroit to get extra pressure on opposing QBs, which has to make Rodgers nervous. The Lions have earned sacks on 6.6% of opposing QBs’ dropbacks, and the Packers allow almost two sacks per game. Even so, Rodgers this season has the best QBR in the NFL, with a 36-to-5 touchdown to interception ratio and his favorite targets being Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson.
Rodgers’ counterpart for the Lions, QB Matthew Stafford, has had a good season in his own right. Stafford has completed 343 of 561 passes for 4,040 yards and 19 TDs, not all-pro numbers but good enough to have the Lions on the verge of the NFC North title in a division that seems to run through Wisconsin. If Stafford can keep putting pressure on Green Bay’s defense, wide receiver Calvin Johnson can add to his 1,000-yard-receiving season, and Reggie Bush continues to show signs of his former self, today’s Lions vs Packers game could go down to the wire.
If you can’t watch the Packers vs Lions game live free today on TV, you can watch Lions vs Packers game online free live stream on the NFL on Fox Sports Live page. You can also watch Green Bay Packers online free vs Detroit Lions live streaming on the DirecTV website if you have an NFL Sunday Ticket subscription with MAX.
