Stakes are high for Lions, Packers
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers know they will reach the postseason if they win Sunday night. The Lions’ playoff prospects are a little more complicated.
Even if the Lions (8-8) beat the Packers (8-8), the Lions can reach the playoffs only if the Seahawks (8-8) lose to the Rams (5-11) earlier in the day. A victory by the Seahawks would eliminate the Lions.
The Lions insist they’ll still have plenty of incentive to beat their NFC North rivals even if it has no impact on their own postseason fortunes.
“There’s other things on the line as far having a winning season and beating a division opponent that I feel like really doesn’t respect us much at all,” Lions cornerback Amani Oruwariye said. “There’s a lot of other motivating factors.
“It’s been one-sided for a long time, but this year we flipped the script. Everyone can kind of see that. They might still feel like this is the old Lions.”
Much has changed for both teams since the last time these teams faced off.
The Packers’ 15-9 loss at Detroit on Nov. 6 capped a fivegame skid that dropped the Packers’ record to 3-6. The Lions had a 1-6 record heading into that game.
The Packers have reeled off four straight victories, thanks in part to a defense that has become adept at forcing takeaways. Their offense believes it also has improved since producing its lowest point total of the season during that trip to Detroit.
“We’re just a way more confident team,” Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard said. “We have our identity now. We know what we’re fully capable of.”
The Lions have won seven of their last nine games and are coming off a 41-10 blowout of the Bears.
The Lions already have come a long way after going 3-13-1 last year in coach Dan Campbell’s debut season. The Lions are seeking their first playoff berth since 2016 and have a chance to end a run of four straight losing seasons.
“It’s basically a playoff game for us,” Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said. “We get to see the outcome of the Seahawks game, so we’ll know before our game if we’re playing for the playoffs or to spoil Green Bay.
“We want to win to have a winning record. That would mean so much after you look at how we started and going 3-13-1 last year. It just shows how far we’ve come. And for us, the future is now.”