The opening number is in, and FanDuel Sportsbook has the Detroit Lions favored by 3.5 points over the Green Bay Packers for their Week 7 divisional matchup in Detroit.
It’s a meeting between a Lions team sitting at 3-2 and a Packers squad at 4-2, and the line reflects just how tight this one looks on paper. Green Bay arrives with plenty of moving parts on both sides of the ball, but the bigger question for Detroit is whether its defense can hold up against an offense that has started to click.
The Packers have spent plenty of this season reshaping their roster. On defense, the changes have been especially heavy.
Jeff Hafley moved on to become the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins, and Green Bay turned to Jonathan Gannon, the former Cardinals head coach, to take over. That brought a new 3-4 look and a long list of changes, including trades of EDGE Rashan Gary to the Cowboys and NT Colby Wooden to the Colts.
EDGE Kingsley Enagbare, MIKE Quay Walker and CB Nate Hobbs also left in free agency.
Micah Parsons is still working back from an ACL tear and is not expected to be available in Week 7. With cap constraints shaping the roster, the Packers leaned on internal development and a few new additions. Lukas Van Ness and Isaiah McDuffie moved into starting roles, Zaire Franklin was acquired and is starting in place of injured Edgerrin Cooper, and the draft brought in CB Brandon Cisse in the second round and NT Chris McClellan in the third.
Offensively, Green Bay also saw major turnover. QB Malik Willis, RB Emanuel Wilson, WR Dontayvion Wicks, WR Romeo Dobbs, LT Rasheed Walker and LG/C Elgton Jenkins are all gone, with Wicks traded to the Eagles.
The Packers have again filled many spots from within, pushing Marshawn Lloyd into a larger role, elevating Savion Williams and Jordan Morgan into the lineup, and moving Sean Rhyan inside to center. The guard situation has remained a mess, and the current pairing has been RG Travis Glover and former Lion LG Laken Tomlinson, who is starting for the injured Aaron Banks.
What matters most now is that Green Bay’s offense has found some rhythm after a rocky start. The Packers opened with a loss while giving up 39 points to the Vikings, then beat the Jets by three in Week 2.
They slipped again in Week 3 when the Falcons controlled the ground game and scored 35 points, but bounced back with another three-point win over the Bucs in Week 4. They followed that by dismantling a Caleb Williams-less Bears team 31-7, then handled the Cowboys 23-13 on “Sunday Night Football” after building a 17-0 first-half lead and surviving a quiet second half from their own offense.
That leaves Detroit with a clear challenge. The Packers’ recent stretch suggests their offense can put pressure on a secondary that still has questions, and that makes the Lions’ defensive outlook a major part of the Week 7 conversation.
Detroit’s work against the Cardinals in Week 5 offers one possible blueprint, but so does the uncertainty around Brian Branch’s status. If he returns, his impact could loom large.
For the Lions, the path is straightforward: their high-powered offense may need to keep up if Green Bay keeps rolling.
In Other News...
Lions May Have A Cheap Secondary Fix They Didn't Expect
Alontae Taylors situation in Tennessee is suddenly worth watching, and not just because the Titans have already started to shuffle pieces around in their secondary. The cornerback, who had built a reputation for stronger play with the Saints, has seen that stock dip since arriving in Tennessee, and now Detroit is being mentioned as a possible landing spot if the Lions decide they want another inexpensive way to bolster their back end.
For a Detroit defense that has been searching for answers in the secondary, Taylor is the kind of name that can make sense on paper: young enough to matter, experienced enough to help, and potentially available if Tennessees view of his fit keeps going south. Nothing has been finalized, but the possibility alone is enough to keep an eye on, especially if the Lions are looking for a move that could change their defensive depth without costing them much. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Defensive Blame Is Starting To Shift In A Telling Way
The Lions defensive frustrations have naturally put Kelvin Sheppard under a microscope, but the conversation around what is actually wrong in that unit is starting to broaden. ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell has pushed back on the idea that the problems belong to the coordinator alone, arguing that the deeper issue is a shortage of talent in the defensive backfield, which has made the secondary easier to attack all season.
Detroit did show something to build on in Week 5, when the defense turned in a much stronger outing and gave Dan Campbell reason to sound more encouraged. Campbell praised Sheppard and the group for the progress, but he also made clear the standard has not changed, and the Lions still need more consistent play before anyone can call the defense fixed. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Could Have A Trade Deadline Decision Fans Wont Like
At 3-2, the Lions are still in the mix to act like buyers at the trade deadline, but the next few weeks could force a much tougher conversation if the results go sideways. In that scenario, Detroit would have to balance the push to stay competitive with the reality of roster spots, contracts and what kind of long-term value it wants to preserve.
That is where the uncomfortable part comes in, because the list of possible trade chips is not the kind of inventory fans want to see discussed in October. Amani Oruwariye, Levi Onwuzurike, Logan Stenberg, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Brock Wright are all being mentioned as players who could go if the Lions decide to sell, and the broader picture gets even trickier when the tight end situation enters the equation. With those upcoming games carrying extra weight, the front office may be staring at a deadline decision that says as much about the season's direction as the standings do. [Read more 🡒]