The Detroit Lions are getting their post-bye test in a hurry, and it comes against a Green Bay Packers team that is trending the right way as it heads into Week 7.
Green Bay, under eighth-year head coach Matt LaFleur, has won two straight entering its primetime matchup with Dallas in Week 6. And next Sunday at Ford Field, the Packers are expected to have a major piece back in the lineup: running back Josh Jacobs.
Jacobs has been on the commissioner exempt list since Aug. 30 after misdemeanor battery and criminal property damage charges were filed against him in May. He is set to come off the list Monday, which would clear him to practice and play against Detroit. The NFL’s investigation into Jacobs is still ongoing, though, so the possibility remains that he could be suspended and miss more games later this season.
For Green Bay, getting Jacobs back is a big deal. The Packers’ rushing attack has managed just 3.1 yards per carry so far this year, a number that ranks second-worst in the league. Jacobs is a clear upgrade for that ground game after averaging 4.0 yards per carry while piling up 929 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in his second season with the Packers in 2025.
He was effective against Detroit a year ago, too, including an 83-yard, 17-carry performance in a Week 13 win over Dan Campbell’s team.
That makes him a dangerous addition for a Packers offense that already needs help finding consistency on the ground, especially against a Lions run defense that has been described as pedestrian.
Detroit, however, will avoid another headline name in Week 7. Green Bay will not have superstar EDGE Micah Parsons available for the trip to Ford Field.
Parsons has been on the physically unable to perform list since the end of the exhibition season while rehabbing the torn ACL and meniscus he suffered last December. He has not yet been cleared to return to practice, so he will remain out next week against the Lions.
The Packers and Lions are scheduled to kick off next Sunday at 4:25 p.m. EST.
In Other News...
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Aidan Hutchinson May Finally Have What Lions Fans Have Wanted
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DJ Wonnums emergence may be part of the reason that path suddenly looks more realistic. Hutchinson has praised the way the two edge rushers complement each other and has talked about wanting both players, and the Lions, to keep building on that chemistry. For a pass rush that has often leaned too heavily on Hutchinson alone, the next stretch could determine whether he keeps drawing the kind of attention that turns a good season into a special one. [Read more 🡒]