Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions: 5 Key Matchups

The first showdown of the NFC North begins Sunday. The Green Bay Packers travel to Ford Field to face the Detroit Lions. The Packers are coming off a wild comeback from the home-field season opener against the Jets.

The Lions are coming off a tight loss against the Panthers. The Packers will come out confident, while the Lions will come out hungry. These five matchups will end up determining the outcome of this game.

Riley Reiff vs. Mike Daniels and Clay Matthews

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Riley Reiff has played fairly decent during his three-year stint in the NFL. He faces a tremendous challenge in protecting Matthew Stafford's blind side this Sunday. Clay Matthews has dropped into coverage more lately, but he still remains a colossal threat to Reiff.

Mike Daniels exploded onto the scene last year, finishing as the Packers' leader in sacks. He is coming off a dominant game against the Jets with a sack and forced an interception when pressuring Geno Smith. The Packers will send their top two pass-rushers at Reiff constantly to pressure the error-prone Stafford.

Ezekiel Ansah vs. Bryan Bulaga and Derek Sherrod

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The Packers have to be worried about the pressure Aaron Rodgers has been receiving lately. He is tied for second with Tony Romo in sacks at seven, according to ESPN statistics.

The Packers appear to face a great task in keeping freakishly athletic Ezekiel Ansah away from Rodgers. Bryan Bulaga suffered a torn MCL in Week 1 and will not be 100 percent if he plays. Derek Sherrod has had a terrible start to the season giving up most of the sacks accumulated by the Packers. If Green Bay does not provide aid for Bulaga and Sherrod, look for Ansah to have a big day.

Jordy Nelson vs. Rashean Mathis and Darius Slay

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Jordy Nelson has been the league's hottest wide receiver coming into this season. He currently has the second most receiving yards in the NFL at 292, according to ESPN statistics.

Surprisingly, Rashean Mathis and Darius Slay will share the responsibility of locking down Nelson. Mathis has been playing at a higher level than Slay, making this shared responsibility questionable.

Look for the Packers to constantly exploit this matchup when Slay is covering Nelson.  

Calvin Johnson vs. Sam Shields

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This matchup has been very entertaining to watch over the past few years. Sam Shields has always preformed well against the league-wide feared Megatron.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford looks for Calvin Johnson early and often. Johnson has 24 targets, which is fourth in the NFL, according to ESPN statistics.

Shields will definitely have his work cut out for him. He should be seeing some help from rookie Ha Ha Clinton-Dix but look for Megatron to have plenty of one-on-one matchups with Shields.

Ndamukong Suh vs. Corey Linsley

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This matchup could single-handedly determine the game. Rookie Corey Linsley has faced a daunting schedule to start his career. He went from Bobby Wagner to Muhammad Wilkerson. He now faces the league's best defensive tackle in Ndamukong Suh.

If Linsley can't match Suh's physicality, the Packers will have no run game. Rodgers will also constantly be under pressure. The Lions are well aware of this matchup and will likely blitz up the middle to create even more pressure. Luckily, the Packers have two talented guards in Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang to aid Linsley.