Know the Foe: Week 2 Packers vs Detroit Lions

Thankfully Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season is in the books. The Green Bay Packers would like to erase the 38-3 embarrassment they had against the New Orleans Saints and put a beating on division foe Detroit Lions. This week 2 matchup is the Packers’ home opener at Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football. Detroit comes into this game after dropping a home loss to the San Francisco 49ers 41-33. Both of these teams will be thirsting for their first win of the young season next Monday night.

Setting the Tone

First-year head coach Dan Campbell wants to establish a tough guy mentality and set a smash-mouth type tone each and every week. This blue-collar toughness starts and ends with the Lions offensive line. This group is tough and looking for a fight each snap. Left tackle Taylor Decker and center Frank Ragnow are the leaders. Both are young Pro Bowl talents with unlimited potential. The guards, Jonah Jackson and Halapoulivaati Vaitai, can hold their own and rookie right tackle Penei Sewell has the makings of a long-term staple. This group protects the running backs that Detroit leaned on last week.

Against the 49ers, former Green Bay back Jamaal Williams led the Lions in rushing with 9 carries for 54 yards and a score. D’Andre Swift added 11 attempts for 39 rushing yards. These two backs produced a combined 16 receptions for over 100 yards and another score. Detroit will again look to their backs to carry the offensive load against the Packers.

While the wide receiver group isn’t featuring any elite talents, tight end T.J. Hockenson has worked his way into a nice pass-catching option. The third-year pro had a nice outing last week hauling in 8 of 10 targets for 97 yards and an end-zone visit.

Long-time quarterback Matthew Stafford is now with the Los Angeles Rams while Jared Goff has taken over in Detroit. Goff is a six-year pro that gets the ball out quickly can present problems for opponents. The key is if this offensive line can protect him. Because when Goff has dealt with immense pass-rush pressure in the past, he can make mistakes.

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Still a Defense with Holes

On the defensive side of the ball, the Lions still have a lot of work to do. Running a 3-4 look this season, newly added Michael Brockers is a nice veteran presence at 5-technique defensive end. The Lions really like rookie wrecking ball Alim McNeil at nose tackle. He is an explosive 6’2″ 330 lb. ball of fire. Right now, McNeil is just asked to penetrate and win the line of scrimmage.

The Lions do have a nice duo of edge rushers. 28-year-old Trey Flowers has given the Packers fits the last few years. Across from him is Romeo Okwara who is coming off a 10-sack campaign in 2020. Both will keep the Green Bay tackles busy.

The secondary of the Lions is a patch-together group the Packers can attack. It looks like second-year pro Jeff Okudah is out for the year after a week one injury. That leaves duties to Amani Oruwariye and rookie Ifeatu Melifonwu against the Green Bay wide receivers.

The defense overall can bring some pressure and they won’t lay down. However, the Green Bay Packers should like the matchup and look to exploit the weaknesses. This is a secondary the Packers pass-catchers must win their one-on-one battles to be successful.

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– Jesse Hall is a writer for Full Press Coverage Packers. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @hall_jhall1212 Follow @FPCoverage and Facebook.

– Kyle Senra is the managing editor for Full Press Coverage Packers. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @SenraSays Follow @FPC_Packers and Facebook.