Thoughts from the Green Bay Packers at the Detroit Lions (12/5/2024)

Here are some of my thoughts from last night's 34-31 Green Bay Packers' loss at the Detroit Lions: 

The loss was disappointing but also encouraging. The Packers have the youngest team in the league and theoretically still haven't reached their full potential. This game, against arguably the best team in the NFC, came down to who had the ball last. Had Lions' coach Dan Campbell chosen to kick the field goal with nearly a minute remaining rather than be aggressive and let his team pick up another first down to run the clock down, there's no reason to believe Jordan Love couldn't have orchestrated a game-tying or even game-winning drive. If they meet in the playoffs (which is likely), it'll likely be a similar game with potentially a different outcome.

The injuries in the secondary are becoming a concern. The Packers were already down Jaire Alexander and Corey Ballentine and lost safeties Evan Williams and Javon Bullard during the game with Keisan Nixon appearing to be hurt on the Lions' last drive. The front seven is starting to gel but it won't mean much if the secondary is too short-handed to cover anyone.

The wide receivers need to be more consistent. Christian Watson had more than 100 yards but also lost a crucial fumble. Jayden Reed dropped the only pass thrown in his direction and Dontayvion Wicks was largely a non-factor until the Packers' final drive (and then was injured). The offensive pass interference penalty on Watson also negated a go-ahead score on that final drive, forcing the tying field goal instead.

Tight end Tucker Kraft, however, continues to impress. He scored the teams' lone receiving touchdown and would have had a second had Love not overthrown him in the endzone. Kraft is arguably the number one receiver on the team, and I'm surprised he doesn't get the ball more.

Same for Josh Jacobs. Three rushing touchdowns and what could have been a receiving touchdown had it not been for the penalty. It was puzzling how Matt LaFleur waited until the Packers were down by 10 in the first half to try to get him going rather than establish the run game on the first drive.

This game made a strong case for using replay assist with player safety. That shot Love took to the head from Za'darius Smith should have drawn a flag and I don't think that was the first time in the game that happened. How it was missed on the field is baffling and was an example of why there needs to be another set of eyes. I'm not saying every penalty needs to be called that way, just the personal fouls.

Despite the setback, the Packers are still in a good spot. A division title is unlikely but after all the games are played this weekend, Green Bay will still be in position for a wild card spot and if my math is correct, only need to win two of their last four games to have an almost-certain chance of making the playoffs. All they need now is to use the extra time before their game at the Seattle Seahawks to get healthy.

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Here are last week's thoughts: Thoughts from the Green Bay Packers Versus the Miami Dolphins (11/28/2024)