The Lions finally got the monkey off their back with a win over the Packers. Now, it looks to notch back-to-back wins for the first time since 2020.
It also looks to win on the road for the first time under Dan Campbell. It goes up against a resurgent Bears offense led by QB Justin Fields, who’s looked much improved over the past few weeks. He looks like he’s finally living up to the billing of a first-round pick.
The Lions would guarantee a jump to third place in the NFC North with a win, and could possible be in second place if the Packers lose to the Cowboys. Yes, that’s how bad the division is this year.
With all that said, here’s five things to watch ahead of Sunday’s game.
Is the defense actually improved? Or is the Packers offense just that bad?
This is the biggest question I personally took away from last week’s win. The Lions had just 18 passed defended all year coming into Week 9. It defended nine last Sunday, including three interceptions. Aaron Rodgers played like a quarterback who turns 39 in a few weeks, but the secondary still looked much better. Obviously Kerby Joseph is the one getting all the attention, and rightfully so, but guys like Jerry Jacobs and DeShon Elliott also had great games. C.J. Moore, who just came off the practice squad, made a fantastic play on Green Bay’s final drive when Joseph was out undergoing tests for a concussion. The secondary made plays when it counted. Now, if only the defense could get some pressure on the quarterback …
Can the Lions’ defense contain Justin Fields?
This has been an issue for the past several years. With the exception of Week 3 of last season against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, whenever the Lions play a mobile quarterback, they run all over their defense. We saw it earlier this year against Jalen Hurts and the Eagles. The Bears have finally been leaning into Justin Fields’ strength over the past few weeks—his mobility. The results have spoken for themselves. They’ve only gone 1-2 in the past three games, but the offense has looked much more efficient. Who knew Fields could be a dynamic QB when he’s not forced to be a statue in the pocket? If the Lions want any chance of winning this Sunday, it’ll have to find a way to contain Fields.
Getting Swift going (again)
D’Andre Swift has seen his playing time dip significantly because of injuries to his ankle and shoulder. He seems to feel healthy enough to play, but the Lions keep limiting his snaps. There’s no question the Lions offense is better when he’s on the field. We’ll see if his snap count increases this week.
Jared Goff needs to be better
Jared Goff got off to a red hot start to the season, throwing 11 touchdowns compared to just two interceptions in his first four games. Since then, he’s only thrown three touchdown passes and four interceptions. He only threw one pick last week, but it easily could have been more. He was staring down WR Amon-Ra St. Brown most of the game, and the Packers knew that, jumping St. Brown’s routes several times, dropping a couple more interceptions along the way. It doesn’t help that the weapons around him have all disappeared, with both DJ Chark and Josh Reynolds getting hurt, and T.J. Hockenson getting traded, but the fact remains he needs to play much better for the Lions offense to find their form again.
What will it take finally win a road game?
The Lions have been close to winning a road game under Dan Campbell several times, but it can never finish the job. Look at Week 3 at Minnesota. They led pretty much the entire game, but blew the lead late in the fourth quarter. Then you have Week 5 at Minnesota last year. The Lions took the lead late, but the defense allowed the Vikings to march down the field in little time and kick the game-winning field goal. Then you have the tie in Pittsburgh last year. The Steelers were begging the Lions to take that game, but it didn’t have a kicker that could kick a game-winning field goal. The Lions need to do something it has done far too infrequently under Campbell if it wants to win a game on the road: Play a complete game.
Matthew Scheidel is a freelance writer.