Free Press sports writers predict the Detroit Lions’ game vs. the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Ford Field (1 p.m., Fox):
Dave Birkett
Neither the Lions nor the Packers are a very good team right now. The Lions have serious defensive issues that won’t be fixed by the firing of one position coach and their shorthanded offense lacks the flair it had early in the season. The Packers offense is hard to watch, and Rodgers, the two-time reigning MVP, seems out of answers to fix it. Green Bay still is loaded with talent on defense, but something isn’t right on that side of the ball, either.
The Lions match up better with the Packers than they did the Dolphins last week. There is no dynamic pass game threat to worry about, and if their run defense holds up I think they come away winners. It’s been a long week with the Hockenson trade and Pleasant’s dismissal, but sometimes turmoil can bring a team together, even if for only a short period of time. Pick: Lions 28, Packers 21.
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Carlos Monarrez
Yeah, I’ve been immunized — against thinking Aaron Rodgers is all that and a bag of chips one month shy of his 39th birthday. (I wonder what ivermectin cake tastes like.) Rodgers’ stats are down across the board and the Packers’ scoring is among the NFL’s worst, which has led to a four-game losing streak and a 3-5 record. Now would be the time for the Lions to strike at the Pack’s soft, pink underbelly, except that the Lions’ defense is even worse, the offense is short on weapons and the entire team is reeling from personnel upheaval. The pick: Packers 27, Lions 20.
Jeff Seidel
Yes, the Packers are struggling. But the Lions’ defense has an amazing ability to fix opposing offenses. This will be the game that Aaron Rodgers remembers that he’s Aaron freakin’ Rodgers. Changing a defensive back coach isn’t going to change what’s on the field for the Lions. The pick: Packers 31, Lions 24.
Shawn Windsor
Ben Johnson and Dan Campbell get to show what they meant when they said other players will step up in T.J. Hockenson’s absence. Sooner or later, the Lions will win one of these one-possession games. Why not against the down Packers? The pick: Lions 23, Packers 20.
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