Detroit Lions (1-1) at Green Bay Packers (1-1)
KICKOFF: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field. TV: FOX, Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Peter Schrager.
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Detroit Lions wide receiver Jace Billingsley (16) can't make the reception under pressure from Baltimore Ravens defensive back Carrington Byndom (33) during the second half of an NFL preseason game Aug. 27. The Lions face the Packers in week 3. File photo by David Tulis/UPI | License Photo
SERIES HISTORY: 172nd regular-season meeting. Packers lead 96-68-7. Lions and Packers split the season series last year, with each team winning on the road. The most historic meeting was in the 1993 playoffs, when Sterling Sharpe caught the winning 40-yard touchdown pass with 55 seconds to play.
GAMEDATE: 9/25/16
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KEYS TO THE GAME: The Lions had success last year by putting pressure on Aaron Rodgers, and they'll need to do that again Sunday. Rodgers was sacked five times and had three fumbles (with one lost) in Green Bay's loss to the Vikings. Ziggy Ansah might not play for the Lions because of an ankle injury, so Haloti Ngata, Devin Taylor and Kerry Hyder will have to shoulder more of the pass-rushing load.
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The Lions lost starting running back Ameer Abdullah to a season-ending foot injury in their Week 2 loss to the Tennessee Titans. That should play right into Green Bay's hands for being stout against the run after the first two games and allow the Packers to focus on disrupting the Lions' potent passing attack with frequent pressure.
Matthew Stafford doesn't have Calvin Johnson anymore, but a Packers secondary that still could be without cornerback Sam Shields (concussion) must be wary of the big-play potential of Golden Tate, Marvin Jones Jr. and Anquan Boldin as well as effective check-down back Theo Riddick.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
--Lions WR Golden Tate vs. Packers CB Quinten Rollins. Tate, the Lions' leader in receptions each of the last two years, is off to a slow start this season with just nine catches for 54 yards. He had two drops last week against Tennessee, but will have a more favorable matchup Sunday if starting cornerback Sam Shields misses his second game with a concussion. Rollins played well as a rookie and has two pass breakups this year.
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--Lions DT Tyrunn Walker vs. Packers LG Lane Taylor. Walker has had a quiet start to the season with six tackles and no sacks through two games. Last week, he played fewer snaps than backup Khyri Thornton. Walker has a favorable matchup this week, though, against Taylor, a first-time starter. The Packers cut long-time Lions nemesis Josh Sitton before the season to give Taylor the job.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: RB Dwayne Washington. Ameer Abdullah's foot injury means a changing of the guard at running back for the Lions. Theo Riddick will start this week and get the bulk of the snaps, but Washington is in line for an expanded role as the No. 2. Riddick had a career-high 11 carries last week, but he's still best suited to play a receiving role out of the backfield. Washington has shown flashes of potential in his limited playing time so far. He's already in most of the Lions' goal-line sets, and if he gets hot, there's no reason the Lions won't get him more involved in the running game.
FAST FACTS: WR Anquan Boldin caught a TD pass last week, his first with the Lions. He and Terrell Owens are the only players in NFL history to have at least 1,000 receptions and record TD catches with four teams. ... Detroit DE Devin Taylor had two sacks and forced a fumble in the last meeting. He recorded 1.5 sacks last week. ... Green Bay TE Richard Rodgers caught eight passes for 146 yards in the last meeting, including the winning 61-yard TD catch as time expired.
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PREDICTION: Aaron Rodgers will be eager to bounce back from a subpar game and come up big at home.
OUR PICK: Packers, 24-17.
