Lions Week 12 Predictions: 8 Trends We Could See Continue Against the Packers

It's been eight years since Detroit Lions fans have had an enjoyable Thanksgiving Day that wasn't partially dampened by their team losing on national television. In fact, the last time they won on Thanksgiving was in 2003 against none other than Brett Favre and the 6-5 Green Bay Packers. 

Many have reason to believe this year could be different. A win over the undefeated Packers would be indisputably their biggest step forward since breaking their 19-game losing streak in the 2009 season. 

The Detroit Lions have what it takes to finish out the regular season as a playoff team, justifying the feel-good story that's been the talk of the league all season long. While this team lacks consistency and has been plagued by slow starts, this last stretch of the season will determine its fate.

Will the Lions feed off the momentum from their most recent win to turn this season back on the right track? Or will teams continue to take advantage of their deficiencies? 

The Lions may be the NFL's last hope in stopping the Packers from a perfect 16-0 record. With the career resurgence of running back Kevin Smith, he may be exactly what the Lions need to prolong their drives and keep up in what should be a very entertaining shootout.

Here's a look at eight trends going into the Lions' most important game of the season, against the Packers.

Matthew Stafford

Another week of Matthew Stafford wearing the gloves, and another week of debate on whether or not they're negatively impacting his performance. Simply put, Stafford's hand is hurting. Without the glove, he cannot firmly grip the ball.

Would the glove change the feel of releasing the ball? Certainly. However, he's had two weeks with that glove, and by now I'm sure he's used to it.

Stafford's struggled early in the game all season long, and his five touchdowns in three quarters last week should be an indication he'll be just fine with those gloves on.

Although I'm a big fan of Shaun Hill, you don't ever sit your franchise quarterback over a minor injury at this point in the season. That glove is going to stay on his hand until he is 100 percent healthy. It's time for everyone to put that concern behind them and focus on his play.

Run Defense

The Lions will continue to allow teams to sustain drives with the run game. We will likely see yet another 100-plus yards on the ground from this week, this time from the Packers. The Lions' defensive line will continue to be overly aggressive in getting to the quarterback, allowing the rushing game to run directly at them and fly right on by.

While the Lions have done a good job in limiting the amount of explosive running plays, it's not acceptable to rely on linebackers on safeties to stop the run each time.

Even if James Starks does not play, the Packers have an equal talent in Ryan Grant. The Packers average 101.6 rushing yards per game, and this should be a pretty accurate number on what to expect from their ground game.

Ndamukong Suh and friends will be hungry as ever to knock Aaron Rodgers out of the game, just as they did in their last meeting in Week 14 of 2010. He's their most important divisional foe and currently the NFL's most dangerous quarterback.While this may inject more motivation into the defensive line, it will also cause them to be even more aggressive on the run attack—perhaps too much.

Offensive Interceptions

Stafford will throw another interception, but please don't even think about blaming the glove. Stafford has a tendency of staring down Calvin Johnson when he's feeling the pressure. While it's worked in most cases early in the season, this week he'll be matched up against Charles Woodson, arguably the best defensive back the Lions have faced this season.

With five picks, two sacks, 44 tackles and a forced fumble, Woodson is in the running for Defensive Player of the Year.

But it doesn't stop there. Six members of the Packers' secondary combine for 19 interceptions, most in the NFL. Three of them have at least four picks. Don't expect any of the Lions' receiving threats to be given a mismatch; they're all good. 

This is Megatron we're talking about, but this matchup is actually somewhat favorable for Woodson. Johnson is the second-most targeted player in the NFL, averaging about 10 targets per game.

With Stafford's recent streak of interceptions, throwing six in just two weeks, half of them were on passes intended for Johnson. This gives Woodson a lot of opportunities to create turnovers. And he'll be sure to take full advantage of it. 

Defensive Interceptions

The reason Aaron Rodgers seems to always find someone open on every play is because of the time he's given in the pocket. Not only has his offensive line been dominant, but his mobility allows him to prolong plays a bit longer than the average quarterback.

However, he will feel the pressure against the Lions' aggressive defensive front on Thursday. Rodgers will be forced to make quick decisions, and he won't always be perfect. He's proven in recent weeks he is prone to mistakes.

The Lions defense is tied for second in the league with 15 total interception. With the Lions coming off a four-interception rout against the Panthers, and Rodgers four days removed from his first interception in five weeks, there could not be a better time for the Lions secondary to face off against the NFL's best quarterback. 

Special Teams

The Lions have seen both good and bad, consistently, with their special teams over the past few weeks. 

The good being Jason Hanson's reliability. While he didn't need to kick any field goals last week against the Panthers, thanks to their success in the Red Zone, Hanson has only missed one field goal all year.

More importantly, Hanson's done his part in limiting kickoff return attempts. Last week, five of Hanson's eight kickoffs resulted in touchbacks. On the other end, one of those three kick returns resulted in a 101-yard touchdown.

The Lions' special teams coverage this season has not been impressive, credited partially to missed tackles and costly penalties. 

Mix the poor special teams coverage with poor punting, and the Lions have the fourth-worst allowed punt return average in the league at 15.4 yards.

With Lions punter Ryan Donahue out for another week, Ben Graham will step in yet again. The former Arizona Cardinal has one of the worst net punt averages in the league at 34 yards per attempt on seven punts.

Red-Zone Offense

The Lions got their dominant red-zone offense back last week against the helpless Carolina defense.

The Lions were 6-of-6 in the red zone last week, all resulting in touchdowns. Kevin Smith ran in two for himself while Stafford threw four of his five touchdowns in the red zone, and he didn't need Calvin Johnson to do it. This says a lot about the rest of his receiving options and should scare the hell out of the rest of the league.

The Packers defense has not been flawless, but it's made big plays in the red zone, forcing turnovers and limiting teams to field goals.

If Stafford can get back to putting the ball into places only Johnson can reach, they could be unstoppable. 

Penalties and Fines

The Lions have proved to be one of the more undisciplined teams in the NFL. Ranking 10th in the league in total penalties, the biggest worry is where they originate from. Too often is the culprit unsportsmanlike conduct, a late hit, a facemask or pass interference.

This team rallies around its aggressive attitude, but sometimes it's just too much. Four Lions players received fines as a result of incidents throughout their game against the Bears in Week 10. This has been a trend throughout the season, with players just getting too riled up. 

There's another reason this will continue this week, besides the fact that it's been a consistent factor all year long. The Lions are playing the Packers—a tough, hated divisional foe.

This matchup has been building up since before the season began. Many knew this would be a vital game for both teams, and yet it's turned out to be more important than many expected. Both teams have a lot at stake in this game. Losing is not an option, but someone will.

The Packers have not forgotten what the Lions did to their prized quarterback in their last matchup. They're determined not to let that happen once again. Both teams will be playing violent and gritty. They'll play like everything's on the line, and they'll do whatever it takes.

There will be penalties—lots of 'em. There will be fines. But it certainly won't slow anyone down. 

High Scoring on Both Sides of the Ball

It's safe to say most people expect an electrifying shootout in this game. Both of these teams are high-powered, pass-first offenses that give up an average of 21 points per game. Stafford and Rodgers are the top-two scoring quarterbacks in the NFL.

While the Lions have a talented defense, they've given up 72 points in their past two games, against the Bears and the Panthers. This trend will continue for obvious reasons. 

Only two teams give up more yards in a game than the Packers, but it's Green Bay's 22 takeaways that limit teams to a reasonable score. 

Both the Lions and Packers rank in the top five in takeaways. While it's kept these teams winning, it's not safe to rely on turnovers to win games. For the Packers, allowing so many yards keeps a defense tired and is a direct cause to many of their final scores being closer than they actually should be. 

The Lions being a second-half miracle team, up against a Packers defense that slows down late in the game, could be the determining factor if this game goes down to the wire.