The Detroit Lions head into Week 7 with a chance to do something they still haven’t managed in 18 weeks: stack wins.
At 3-2 in the NFC North, Detroit gets Green Bay at Ford Field in a game that should tell a lot about where both teams are headed. The Lions are healthier this time around, and they also have a clear shot to protect home turf against a divisional opponent before turning around for another division matchup in Week 8. More than that, a win would give them their first back-to-back victories since Week 5 of the 2025 season.
That drought matters. Detroit has been unable to build any real momentum, and that has already come back to haunt them. They have also struggled coming out of bye weeks, which only adds to the pressure around this one.
Green Bay arrives with three straight wins, but the path to those victories deserves a closer look. The Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys, the Chicago Bears, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, though each one comes with a caveat.
Dallas has the league’s worst defense. Chicago was missing Caleb Williams.
Tampa Bay was without Baker Mayfield, alongside its other issues.
That doesn’t erase the wins, of course, but it does put them in perspective. Green Bay has not faced a defensive front like Detroit’s since its Week 3 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and that could matter a lot on Sunday.
For the Lions, the biggest key is up front. Green Bay’s offensive line has been described as porous, and getting to Jordan Love has to be a priority.
Detroit’s secondary remains its biggest vulnerability, and Love has a habit of taking shots downfield in search of pass interference calls. That approach has worked for him often enough.
If the Lions can get to him before those throws develop, or at least make him uncomfortable enough to throw inaccurate balls, they can create a real chance for turnovers. That kind of disruption could be enough to help them finally put together a win streak - and it would come just in time before a Week 8 matchup with the undefeated Vikings, a team with one of the league’s worst offenses and its best defense.
In Other News...
Why The Lions Contender Hype Suddenly Looks A Lot More Real
Through six weeks, the Lions have started to look less like a team riding early-season momentum and more like one with a real path to staying in the NFC race. The numbers back up the eye test, too, with the offense and defense both showing meaningful improvement from where this group has been in recent seasons. Detroit has been efficient enough to keep pace with almost anybody, and the way the unit is functioning now suggests the ceiling is higher than many expected back in September.
A big part of the optimism is what still appears to be coming. The defensive front has shown more bite, the secondary has steadied in stretches, and the team is set up to get healthier after the bye with key pieces coming back into the mix. Add in a remaining schedule that does not look overwhelming, and the case for the Lions as a legitimate contender suddenly feels a lot less theoretical. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Suddenly Face A Packers Threat That Looks Much Worse
Green Bay has spent much of its recent stretch looking like a team trying to find its footing on the ground while leaning harder on the parts of its offense that can still stress a defense. The Packers have battled inconsistency in the run game, but they remain dangerous in the vertical passing game, and their safety play has given them a sturdy backbone as they head into a matchup with Detroit.
For the Lions, that creates a very specific kind of problem. Detroit has struggled to handle deep shots, and the Packers have shown they can punish teams in those areas while also targeting the middle of the field with confidence. A few personnel changes could shape how much balance Green Bay can bring back into the offense, and that is what makes this matchup worth watching closely as the week unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Campbell Sees Something Even Scarier In Penei Sewell
Penei Sewell has already built a rsum that would satisfy almost any lineman in the league, but the Lions still believe there is more room to grow. Since Detroit drafted him in 2021, Sewell has handled the move from right tackle to left tackle with ease, and coach Dan Campbell continues to talk about him like a player still on the rise rather than one who has peaked.
That is what makes Sewell such a fascinating piece of Detroits foundation. He is already a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time NFL All-Pro, yet both he and Campbell see more improvement ahead, and Sewell has pointed to his daily battles with Aidan Hutchinson as a big reason he keeps pushing his level higher. For a Lions offense and team identity built on toughness up front, that kind of internal competition is exactly the sort of thing that can keep getting scarier. [Read more 🡒]