The Green Bay Packers host the Detroit Lions tonight in a contest to determine who completes the first quarter of the regular season leading the NFC North Division. Both the Lions and Packers have won two of their first three games. Detroit opened with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs and downed the Atlanta Falcons last week while losing a second week contest at home against the Seattle Seahawks. The Packers beat the Chicago Bears in first week action and edged the New Orleans Saints last week after dropping a one-point decision to the Falcons in a second week matchup.
When one thinks of the Packers and Lions of the past decade, they might consider Green Bay the far superior team. But history when these two teams tangle don’t support that assumption. In their most recent 20 meetings, the Lions and Packers have split the series with ten wins each and the Lions have a significant point spread edge, 13-7. Last season, the Lions upset the Packers on the final day of the regular season to knock them out of the postseason field in Aaron Rodgers’ last game with Green Bay.
The books opened tonight’s game with the Packers a slight favorite, but the public weighed in and drove the Lions to chalk. Detroit is currently favored by two points for this Thursday night primetime event.
I like it when the public and books are on opposite sides, although it was a bit of a surprise to me that Green Bay would have been posted on the opening line giving points. After all, the Lions are a team on an upward trajectory good enough to hand the Chiefs an opening game defeat and win eight of their final 10 games last season.
The Packers, meanwhile, are in the initial stages of playing without their longtime starting quarterback and future Hall of Fame member, Aaron Rodgers. The Packers victories this season have been over a pitiful Chicago Bears squad and by virtue of a furious fourth quarterback comeback against the New Orleans Saints last week. The Packers scored all of their points in the fourth quarter last Sunday against New Orleans to pull out a one-point victory that was saved when New Orleans missed a would-be winning field goal on the game’s last play.
So, what do we have here?
A more talented Lions squad playing a Packers team that has been superior for the past decade and still unable to generate a winning record against the much maligned Lions. In those previous contests, the Lions were most often underdogs and tonight, by public decree, they are now favored at Lambeau Field.
You want the Lions, who knocked the Packers out of the playoffs last year on this same field, to best the Packers again while favored on the point spread?
You want a suspect Green Bay squad off a fourth quarter comeback that overcame a 17-0 deficit for an 18-17 victory?
No, and no.
What we get tonight, instead of a wager on either side, is an opportunity to see if the Lions will be a major force this year. If they can beat the Chiefs in Kansas City and take down the Packers as a bet-on favorite at Lambeau Field, they will be a factor all year long.
If, on the other hand, the Packers take over first place in the NFC North tonight with a home win, then the Lions are once again who they seemingly have always been; a brick short.