Freischaltung » Now, the Detroit Lions and Green Bay

Twice in the past three seasons Gardner Minshew II Jersey , this was a de facto NFC North title game. Packers are already out of the playoff race.So much for another big showdown in the regular-season finale.Packers CoveragePhotos of the Week: 7/21/19 – 7/27/19Packers rookie Gary’s biggest critic is himselfTop Tweets: Former Badger TJ Watt has impressive four-year transformationPHOTOS: 2019 Green Bay Packers training campPackers’ Rodgers, LaFleur ironing out offense, building chemistryPlayers to watch at Green Bay Packers 2019 training campLaFleur: Offense still a work in progress as Packers open campPackers release defensive tackle Mike DanielsGreen Bay Packers 2019 training camp primerPackers’ Rodgers not ranked as a top-5 quarterback in Madden 20For both the Lions and Packers, the offseason begins the moment Sunday’s game ends in Detroit. Both teams showed promise at times in 2017, but an injury to Aaron Rodgers derailed Green Bay, and the Lions stumbled down the stretch for a second straight season. When these old rivals meet this weekend, there won’t be much left to play for.“Obviously this is new territory for us — at least for me and the majority of guys on this team,” Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews said. “For the first time, we’re not playing for a postseason spot.”The Packers (7-8) have fallen short of the playoffs for the first time since 2008, a year before Matthews was drafted.Detroit (8-7) won’t be in the postseason either, and the big question now is whether the Lions will stick with coach Jim Caldwell for another year. Detroit made the playoffs last season, but lost its final three regular-season games and its postseason opener.This season, the Lions were in decent shape at 6-4 before consecutive losses against Minnesota and Baltimore left them playing catch-up.Detroit is now out of contention for a playoff spot following a bad loss at Cincinnati last weekend.“It’s different. I’ve never been in this situation before so I don’t know how to feel,” said Lions receiver Marvin Jones, who made the playoffs each of his four previous healthy seasons in the NFL.Last season Christian Wilkins Jersey , the Packers and Lions both made the playoffs and Green Bay won at Detroit in Week 17 to take the division title. The teams both made the postseason in 2014 as well, and the Packers held off the Lions at Lambeau Field in the regular-season finale to win the NFC North.There’s nothing like that at stake this week, but here are a few things to watch when Detroit hosts Green Bay:PLAYING FOR PRIDEBoth teams appear to be treating this like a normal game. Rodgers has been shut down for the season, but there’s no indication this will turn into a parade of backups.“It’s important to play to win. To me, this isn’t the preseason,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “I think it would be the wrong message to send to the locker room, and it’s a terrible message to send to your fans. People are electing to go to Ford Field to see the Green Bay Packers play the Lions, so we’re going there to win. If our players are healthy, I expect them to play and I expect them to play to win.”PASSING STATSThe Lions have their share of problems, but the passing game isn’t the main reason they’re missing the playoffs.Matthew Stafford has seven consecutive seasons with at least 4,000 yards passing, and Jones has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his career.“I did what I set out to do, but at the same time, I play the game to help my team to make it as far as we can,” Jones said. “Everybody is disappointed and feels like we had a team to go to the playoffs Michael Deiter Jersey , but it didn’t happen.”RARE OPPORTUNITYThe Lions haven’t swept Green Bay since the 1991 season, but they have a chance to accomplish that after beating the Packers on the road 30-17 in early November.INJURY ISSUESGreen Bay has been hurt by injuries to its receiving group. Davante Adams (concussion) didn’t play in last weekend’s loss to Minnesota, and Jordy Nelson went down with a shoulder injury in that game.Matthews (hamstring) also missed that game.Detroit has had to deal with injuries on its offensive line: Travis Swanson (concussion), T.J. Lang (foot) and Rick Wagner (ankle) were inactive against Cincinnati.UPS AND DOWNSBrett Hundley, who has been Green Bay’s replacement for the injured Rodgers, went 17 of 40 and threw two interceptions against Minnesota. That was a step back after he’d thrown six touchdown passes with only one interception over his previous three appearances.—PACKERS-LIONS CAPSULEOPENING LINE — Lions by 7RECORD VS. SPREAD — Green Bay 7-8, Detroit 7-7-1SERIES RECORD — Packers lead 100-69-7LAST MEETING — Lions beat Packers 30-17, Nov. 6LAST WEEK — Packers lost to Vikings 16-0; Lions lost to Bengals 26-17AP PRO32 RANKING — Packers No. 21, Lions No. 17PACKERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (25), RUSH (18), PASS (23)PACKERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (22), RUSH (20), PASS (22)LIONS OFFENSE — OVERALL (13), RUSH (32), PASS (6)LIONS DEFENSE — OVERALL (27), RUSH (17) Daniel Jones Jersey , PASS (28)STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Lions trying for first sweep of Packers since 1991 season. … Both teams eliminated from playoff contention. Both made it last season, and their matchup to end regular season decided division. … Packers started this season 4-1 but are 3-7 since loss to Minnesota in which QB Aaron Rodgers was injured. Brett Hundley, who replaced Rodgers, has thrown for eight TDs with 10 INTs. … Green Bay’s Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones form only rookie pair in which each player has at least 400 yards rushing and at least four TDs rushing. … Packers WR Davante Adams is tied for second in NFL with 10 TD catches. … Green Bay LB Blake Martinez leads NFL with 136 tackles. … Detroit’s Matthew Stafford is third in NFL with 4,123 yards passing and has seven straight seasons with at least 4,000. … Since 2015, Lions’ Theo Riddick is only RB in NFL with 1,500 yards receiving and 10 TD catches. … Detroit hasn’t had 100-yard rusher since Reggie Bush had 117 on Thanksgiving against Green Bay in 2013. … Lions CB Darius Slay leads NFL with seven INTs. Fantasy Tip: Detroit’s anemic running game is generally worth avoiding, but if you must consider RB from Lions, rookie Tion Green has played more prominent role lately and may receive more extensive look in largely meaningless finale. GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — For a change, it was the Packers in a runaway.Aaron Jones ran for career highs of 145 yards and two scores, Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams connected for two touchdown passes and the Green Bay beat the Miami Dolphins 31-12 on Sunday.The Packers (4-4-1) pulled away in the second half, sandwiching scoring drives around cornerback Bashaud Breeland’s interception deep in Miami territory. Green Bay went ahead 28-12 on Adams’ 25-yard touchdown catch with 7:24 left in the third quarter.Article continues below ...“This league has always been about big plays,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “You can’t score points without big plays and you have to make big plays to win the game.”Maybe this is the victory that will get the Packers going in the tight NFC North race following a choppy first half of the season.Jason Sanders tied a Dolphins franchise rookie record with four field goals Dexter Lawrence Jersey , but Miami (5-5) couldn’t find the end zone. The Dolphins squandered another opportunity on the game-opening drive after Brock Osweiler fumbled away a shotgun snap.The Packers cashed in on that turnover, too, when Rodgers and Adams connected on their first touchdown for a 7-0 lead.“We turned it over and we didn’t take advantage of opportunities,” Dolphins coach Adam Gase said.His defense also had trouble slowing down Jones, who finished with 15 carries to give Green Bay some much-needed balance.A slashing style and an explosive burst through the hole make Jones a threat to bust a big run on any carry. He accounted for 54 yards of total offense on the opening drive alone.Jones added a career-long 67-yarder to give him 96 yards on four carries in the first quarter alone.“We got the run game going. We had a lot more balance, which we hadn’t had all season,” said Rodgers, who was 19 of 28 for 199 yards.Adams had four catches for 57 yards.BROCK STOPS HEREOsweiler was 23 of 37 for 213 yards in his fifth start for the injured Ryan Tannehill. Miami had 294 yards of total offense, an admirable effort given that they were missing three starting offensive linemen.But Osweiler was sacked six times, including three straight plays late in the fourth quarter.“Overall, I just need to be better and this organization deserves better because we left a lot on the table out there tonight,” Osweiler said.RECORD RUNA 9-yard run with about 3½ minutes left in the first quarter put Miami’s Frank Gore over the 500-yard mark for an NFL-record 14th straight season. He broke a tie with Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton.RUNNING AWAYJones said he had about 10 family members, including both of his parents, in the stands at Lambeau to watch his career night.“It means a lot. I didn’t tell anybody, but I made this game for my parents. So now I’ve got two touchdown balls to give to both of them,” he said. “It works out. It’s a blessing.”COSTLY KICKSanders booted a kickoff out of bounds after his fourth field goal to allow the Packers to start their next drive at the 40 Deandre Baker Jersey , which ended with a 10-yard touchdown run by Jones.UNDAUNTED DOLPHINSGase said the team believed they could win on Sunday despite so many injuries, not including the ones that happened during the game. Miami forced two turnovers on special teams, blocking a punt and forcing Tramon Williams to fumble on a return for good field position each time.“That field position, we didn’t take advantage of,” Gase said. “Those type of things, you can’t do against this guy (Rodgers). You do that, it’s just a matter of time before he makes it right.”QUOTABLE“It’s heartbreaking … and then you have a fire in my adopted home of southern California, so it’s been a tough week for sure, and myself and the guys from northern California, our thoughts and our prayers are with those folks.” — Rodgers, who was born in Chico, California, on the wildfires ravaging the state. He wore a dark blue cap from the Santa Monica Fire Department after the game.INJURIESDolphins: RB Kenyan Drake left with a knee injury in the second quarter. … WRs Davante Parker (shoulder) and Jakeem Grant (leg) left in the third quarter.Packers: A defense already missing CB Kevin King (hamstring) lost two more starters in the first half when S Kentrell Brice departed with an ankle injury and linebacker Nick Perry limped off with a knee injury. Brice (knee) and Perry (ankle) had been on the injury report last week for other ailments. … OL Lucas Patrick (concussion protocol) did not return after taking a hard hit while returning a short kickoff in the first quarter. … In the fourth quarter, Breeland left with a groin injury.UP NEXTDolphins: Have a bye next week before a trip to Indianapolis on Nov. 25.Packers: Visit the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday.