Thursday Night Football Week 13: TV Schedule, Live Stream for Packers vs. Lions

In a season littered with odd benchmarks, it's only right the Detroit Lions have a shot at a season sweep of the Green Bay Packers on the Week 13 edition of Thursday Night Football.

The sweep would be the first in 24 years and fit nicely on the shelf next to Peyton Manning's benching, the eye-popping lows of some divisions and many more oddities of the season.

Detroit took down the Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 10 and hasn't lost since, surging to 4-7 and making the situation in the NFC North more interesting than it should be. Green Bay has now lost four of its last five and looks up to the Minnesota Vikings in the division.

Here's a look at one of the season's most important matchups.

Viewing Info

When: Thursday, Dec. 3, at 8:25 p.m. ET

Where: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Television: CBS, NFL Network

Live Stream:  NFL Game Pass

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):

• Over/Under: 46.5

• Spread: Green Bay (-3)

Team Injury Reports

Player	Position	Status
Damarious Randall	CB	Questionable
Jared Abbrederis	WR	Probable
Ty Montgomery	WR	Out

Player	Position	Status
Matt Prater	K	Questionable
Lance Moore	WR	Out
Golden Tate	WR	Probable
Calvin Johnson	WR	Questionable

Injury reports courtesy of ESPN.com.

Finding the Rhythm

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have gone from dropping 31- and 38-point bombs in the early goings of the season to mustering 10, 16 and 13 points in recent losses.

What changed? Rodgers has completed less than 58 percent of his passes in four consecutive games now. He's not turning the ball over often at a 9-2 touchdowns-interceptions ratio, but drops and miscommunications continue to plague the offense.

"We're not even being effective enough anywhere near our potential, I think," Rodgers said, according to ESPN.com. "We're just on different pages."

Case in point, veteran wideout James Jones. In the provided sample, Green Bay won only the game against Minnesota:

OPP	REC	TGTS	YDS	TD
at DEN	1	2	2	0
at CAR	2	6	57	0
vs. DET	0	2	0	0
at MIN	6	11	109	1
vs. CHI	0	0	0	0

Compare that to a guy who caught six touchdowns over as many games before the miserable stretch.

It's clear the Packers miss players such as Jordy Nelson. Even Eddie Lacy has consecutive 100-yard performances now, a stretch where the team went just 1-1.

For Green Bay, the key is more consistency through the air. Rodgers has to find a way to get the ball to Jones when defenses swarm Randall Cobb. The problem, though, is a suddenly improved Detroit defense.

Balancing Out

It's almost as if the globe has watched the Lions grow up in recent weeks. 

Folks know the offense has played well under the guidance of new offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. What doesn't get enough credit, though, is a rebounding defense that over the last three games has allowed an average of just 14.3 points and 271.7 yards per game.

Call it an impressive streak, too, considering what the Packers are capable of, Oakland's explosive young offense and the supposed potent Philadelphia attack led by mastermind Chip Kelly.

There's an underrated element on the offensive side of things, too. The Lions averaged less than 67 rushing yards per game over their first nine contests, only to explode for 217 over the last two. Ameer Abdullah had 44 yards or more in each of the past two games, while a healthy Joique Bell continues to pitch in as a strong complement.

Granted, in the 18-16 win against the Packers, the team rushed for just 1.7 yards per carry and Rodgers threw a pair of scores. But it's clear the Detroit defense knows how to slow a rival and stick to an ideal attack.

Thursday, it's about countering whatever adjustments the Packers make and doing it again.

Prediction

Morry Gash/Associated Press

There's a reason the Lions haven't swept this season series since a guy by the name of Brett Favre played for the Atlanta Falcons.

The Packers are hungry, and Rodgers is due for a huge game. A stout run game led by a healthy Lacy gives the Packers a strong shot at controlling the tempo of this one and keeping the crowd quiet.

While it might seem like these teams head in different directions, the fact of the matter is Green Bay remains the more talented team. It's a matter of execution, and it would be downright odd to see the team struggle against a familiar opponent on a short week.

Look for Rodgers to outduel Matthew Stafford down the stretch as both defenses collapse on a short turnaround.

Prediction: Packers 33, Lions 30

Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.