Five Lions-Packers Questions with Pride of Detroit

Acme Packing Company was lucky enough to ask Mike Payton of Pride of Detroit, our sister site covering the Detroit Lions, a couple of questions about the Green Bay Packers’ upcoming opponent. Read up on Payton’s take about Goff, the Lions being flexed to Sunday Night Football and a Deion Sanders-coached pass-rusher who is surprising this season.

Why hasn’t Jared Goff thrown an interception since he last played the Packers? Is he gonna end up hanging around? The Lions currently own the 6th pick in the 2023 draft (via the Los Angeles Rams trade). Are you still tracking quarterback draft prospects?

Jared Goff isn’t going anywhere. He’s proven that he’s better than originally speculated and that he can lead this team to wins. The reason he hasn’t thrown any interceptions is because he’s had just about all day to throw the ball during this run. He’s only been sacked nine times since Week 9. He’s shown a poise we haven’t seen from him before and he’s playing the best ball of his career. As far as the future, Goff has at least two years left on his deal and he’ll probably be the guy for that duration. If the Lions fall in love with a prospect, I can see them drafting him and stashing him. The more likely scenario is that the Lions draft a backup late in the draft.

I really liked Josh Paschal coming out of the draft and everyone knew Aidan Hutchinson was a high draft pick, but the guy people keep telling me to watch is rookie pass-rusher James Houston via Deion Sanders’ Jackson State. How has he been playing this season?

What a revelation this guy has been. The Lions drafted him in the sixth round and he didn’t initially make the 53 man roster. The Lions put him in the lineup on Thanksgiving out of necessity. Here we are after just six career games and not even 100 snaps and he leads all rookies in sacks. He has a bend that is just something special to see. Definitely a guy that I can’t wait to see progress to his ceiling.

Be honest, how mad are you that the NFL isn’t playing Rams-Seahawks, which will decide if the Lions have an opportunity to make the playoffs with a win, at the same time as this game? The worst part of the Sunday Night Football flex for you guys has to be everyone repeating that people will tune in to watch Aaron Rodgers fight for a playoff spot in primetime.

There’s a part of me that’s just happy to be here. I know this is just the beginning for this team and it’s a pretty great beginning. It sucks that if it comes game time and there’s no chance of playoffs for the Lions, but this team and it’s fan base have really rallied around the idea that this could be a changing of the guard type game. Even if it doesn’t mean a trip to the playoffs, it means the Lions can potentially bury Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Even if it’s possibly for just one season. This team is pretty hyped up right now. It’s a real playoff atmosphere.

It is a little annoying that the Lions have been the hot team for the last two months and people are talking like the Packers already won this game after four good games.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is 18-1 in December and January in the regular season. His only loss was against the Lions in Week 18 last year when they already had the one seed locked up, dealt with weird David Bakhtiari stuff and benched their starters at the half. I know the Lions were leading in that game, but does it count?

Yeah it counts lol. That was a nothing game for the Packers and their fans, but it was a big win for a Lions team that was finding their identity during that time. Any win over the Packers counts and a banner will be raised. A parade will possibly be held pending the weather.

How many of those crazy Week 18 trick plays does Detroit need to call to cover a 4.5-point spread (DraftKings) in this one?

Oh there’s going to be trick plays. It seems like the Lions save most of them for the final game of the season. I’m guessing right now that there will be three and two of them will work.