Packers vs Lions: 10 Keys to the Game for Detroit

This weekend, the Detroit Lions face down the Green Bay Packers with their season on the line.

Of course, the same could be said of their game against Minnesota last weekend. Because of their slow start, the Lions have been playing with fire for most of their season, both in terms of individual games and their season as a whole.

At 4-5, the Lions aren't dead, but they're going to need an incredible run over some great teams to close out their season if the playoffs are going to be a reality. At this point, and with the stretch of teams they have left on the schedule, 8-8 is a more realistic goal.

But the Lions can't think about that now if they're to make any kind of headway. What they need to do this week is take care of business against the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers have looked a great deal more vulnerable this year than they ever did in 2011, but then, so do the Lions, and the difference between them still seems about the same.

Still, the Lions are a talented enough team to win any game. Problem is, they're also inconsistent enough to lose any game. This game will kick off a three-game homestand for the Lions, all against playoff teams.

If they're going to turn this season around and make a statement, it's going to be here, or not at all.

If they're going to make that stand, here's how it needs to happen.

Get Calvin Johnson Involved Early, and Deep

This weekend, the Detroit Lions face down the Green Bay Packers with their season on the line.

Of course, the same could be said of their game against Minnesota last weekend. Because of their slow start, the Lions have been playing with fire for most of their season, both in terms of individual games and their season as a whole.

At 4-5, the Lions aren't dead, but they're going to need an incredible run over some great teams to close out their season if the playoffs are going to be a reality. At this point, and with the stretch of teams they have left on the schedule, 8-8 is a more realistic goal.

But the Lions can't think about that now if they're to make any kind of headway. What they need to do this week is take care of business against the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers have looked a great deal more vulnerable this year than they ever did in 2011, but then, so do the Lions, and the difference between them still seems about the same.

Still, the Lions are a talented enough team to win any game. Problem is, they're also inconsistent enough to lose any game. This game will kick off a three-game homestand for the Lions, all against playoff teams.

If they're going to turn this season around and make a statement, it's going to be here, or not at all.

If they're going to make that stand, here's how it needs to happen.

...and Then Target the Rest of the WR Corps

Good as Calvin Johnson is, we pretty well saw proof that he can't win a ballgame on his own.

That's not his fault; he could scarcely have done more than he did in Minnesota, but the wide receiver position isn't really one that allows him to put the entire team on his back.

That's why, despite the fact that Johnson needs to get involved early, he can't be the only receiver involved in the offense. Last week, the Lions' second-leading receiver was Joique Bell, with 44 yards. Titus Young and Ryan Broyles combined to post all of five receptions for 41 yards.

That's not good enough. Not for a couple of second-round picks. Broyles is still working into the offense, but Young is supposed to be able to win his one-on-one matchups, and he hasn't done that consistently all season.

If the Lions' passing offense is to be consistently effective, they need to establish more than one weapon. That's the whole reason they've spent so much to bring in Young, Broyles and Nate Burleson. It's time to start seeing dividends from it.

Remember, Aaron Rodgers Is Sackable

The Packers' offensive line is already among the league's worst, and now it's lost starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga for the season.

That's good timing, since the Lions' defensive front seems to have come on in recent weeks, at least in terms of creating consistent pressure.

The Lions have next to nothing to fear from the league's 23rd-ranked rushing attack, so expect the Lions' front four to be even more fixated on the quarterback as usual.

They need to be, because Aaron Rodgers will thoroughly dominate the flow of the game otherwise.

Kick Them While They're Do—Wait, That's Not What I Meant!

I had to bring it up. Somebody was going to.

The Lions do need to try kicking the Packers while they're down, but not like they did last year on Thanksgiving.

I mean the Lions need to take advantage of the Packers' rash of injuries on both sides of the ball.

Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson will at best limited and at worst out for this game (most likely Jennings will be out and Nelson limited), which limits the kinds of talent Aaron Rodgers has to target.

Pass rusher extraordinaire Clay Matthews may not play this weekend, Pro Bowl (Hall of Fame?) CB/S Charles Woodson is still out, and (as previously mentioned) starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga is out for the year.

The Lions have their share of injuries, too, but with the Packers likely to be missing many of their most important pieces, this is as good a time to play them as any. But the Lions will want to target the places the Packers have been hit hardest by injury to take advantage.

But Seriously, Don't Kick Anybody

The only thing anyone will remember from the Thanksgiving Day game last year is that Ndamukong Suh stomped on a guy.

Lost in that memory is the fact that before Suh lost his cool, the Lions were playing step-for-step with the then-undefeated Packers. And that was (arguably) a better, healthier team than the one the Lions are going to face this weekend.

But when Suh lost it, so did the rest of the team. It wasn't just that Suh had to leave the game, or that Suh's personal foul ended up giving the Packers a touchdown, wiping out a heroic goal-line stand that would have resulted in a field goal.

Those things hurt, but the entire team seemed to go from fighting every snap to a "here we go again" attitude after that play. The Packers pulled away starting from that play and still haven't looked back.

Now, the Packers may not be the same flying death machine they were last season, but they're still among the most dangerous teams in football, and the Lions can't afford to give them anything for free, be it yardage, motivation or ejections.

Run the Ball

I get a lot of resistance when I suggest the Lions need to focus on running the football, because the Lions aren't built as a run-first team.

That's fine; I get that. But I also know that getting into an aerial assault war with the Packers is a losing proposition.

The Packers' run defense isn't exactly the most vulnerable unit in the league, but the Lions' rushing attack isn't as inept as it has been in years past, either.

If the surprisingly effective tandem of Mikel Leshoure and Joique Bell can muster 4-5 yards per carry, that will go a long way towards keeping the Packers' offense off the field. That's the key to beating the Packers; not to stop the offense, but simply to limit it.

Hope Drayton Florence Is the Answer

The Lions are unsettled in the secondary. If you like understatements, there's some gold for you.

That said, aside from an ankle injury to Chris Houston, this figures to be the healthiest the Lions have been at cornerback all season.

Of course, the Houston injury is potentially a huge one, but we don't yet know how serious it is or if he'll miss time.

In the meantime, Drayton Florence is back from his partial-term injured reserve stay, and he should play against Green Bay this weekend.

Florence isn't on anybody's All-Pro watch list, but considering this is a team that has recently had to rely on Jonte Green and Alphonso Smith in major roles at corner, Florence is a welcome re-addition as the Lions prepare to play their toughest passing attack this season.

Take Care of the Football

I mentioned this before, but the last thing the Lions need to do is give the Packers more possessions and more chances to score.

Running the ball will help shorten the game and keep the overall number of possessions low, but even more important is that the Lions don't give the Packers extra possessions and field position with turnovers.

The Lions won't win this game with a fully conservative approach, and I'm not advocating that. But the Lion offense is prone to risk-taking at times, and this would be a very good time for them to take what the defense gives them.

At the very least, that beats giving things to the defense.

Be Aggressive on Defense

I know the Lions have reason to fear Aaron Rodgers. I've said as much in this very piece.

I know Rodgers has unrealistically good downfield accuracy, and that the Pack will threaten with the deep ball given the slightest opening (or no opening at all).

I know that the Packers have ways of taking advantage of an overzealous defense.

Despite all that, the Lions absolutely must stay aggressive on defense. On the off chance that they can force Rodgers into a mistake, or throw the offense out of its rhythm, it will all pay off.

The alternative—playing it safe, trying to keep the play in front of them at all times—will allow Rodgers to do what he's actually most comfortable with: picking apart soft zones with 10-15 yard passes all day.

We already know Rodgers can do whatever he wants with a defense in even the smallest amount of space. The best hope the Lions have is to stay aggressive and try to force the Packers' hand, even if that means giving up a big play or two.

A couple of big plays peppered throughout otherwise effective defense is a preferable outcome to simply letting Rodgers pick the secondary apart 10 yards at a time.

Just Remember That If You Don't Win, You're Doomed

The Lions have exhibited a notable lack of urgency at some pretty key moments this season, and it's not a new revelation.

The Lions wouldn't have set a record for comeback victories in 2011 if they have a problem with playing a consistent 60 minutes.

Even now, the dominant performance the Lions posted against Jacksonville is the only win the Lions have this season that didn't come right down to the wire.

Worse yet, they followed that up with a weak offensive first half against Minnesota, the kind typical of the first half of their season (and most of their games last season).

If the team was saving itself for something later on, they need to take the limiters off right now. The Lions have been kings of the second-half comeback, but that's not as easy to do in a season as it is in a game (and it's not easy even then).

The Lions needed to win against the Vikings to vault themselves into the playoff discussion.

They couldn't pull that game out, so now the stakes are a little different. The Lions need to win this game to make them relevant for the rest of the season.