NFL fans will have to wait until Monday Night Football to see one of the marquee match-ups in Week 6, with the Green Bay Packers hosting the Detroit Lions.
The early line for the game is Packers -6, and while that's fair considering the Packers are 4-1 and have the home-field advantage for the prime-time showdown, the Lions can not only cover the line, but could actually win the game and put themselves in striking distance to win the NFC North.
4. Matt Patricia has had two weeks to game-plan
One thing the Lions have going for them heading into this match-up is that they have been on bye week, giving them more than two weeks to prepare for the Green Bay Packers.
While Patricia has been criticized by many for his mismanagement of the clock by a few sports personalities such as Bill Simmons on his weekly NFL podcast, Patricia's defensive schemes for handling opposing offenses have earned high praise.
The Lions were able to beat the Patriots in Week 3 last season largely due to Patricia's game-plan, and while they still lost in Week 4, the Lions defense held Patrick Mahomes to a pedestrian performance that the Colts mimicked to upset the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football in Week 5.
Say what you want about Patricia, but when he has time to prepare for an opposing offense, he delivers an excellent game plan that Lions fans should be excited to see on Monday.
3. The bye week gives the injured Lions time to heal
Being that the team had most of the week off, many of the Lions' injured players had a chance to recharge their batteries and heal their wounds.
Many key players for Detroit, such as cornerback Darius Slay, tight end T.J. Hockenson, wide receiver Danny Amendola and defensive linemen Mike Daniels and Da'Shawn Hand, had a chance to recover from their respective injuries and could have prominent roles.
Additionally, quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is arguably the most important player to the Lions' success, had a chance to nurse his injured hip. Having Stafford at 100 percent health is key to this victory, and the week away from football helped Stafford heal and clear his head for the match-up.
2. Kenny Golladay is ready to torch a depleted secondary unit
Third-year wide receiver Kenny Golladay has made a strong case that he deserves to be invited to the Pro Bowl, as in his first four games, he has posted 19 catches for 243 yards and four touchdowns while having many highlight catches and solidifying himself as the No. 1 receiver in Detroit.
Golladay should be the main concern of the Green Bay Packers defense, and it doesn't help the Cheeseheads that their secondary is ravaged with injury.
Starting safeties Darnell Savage and Kevin King are listed as questionable, and King, as well as fellow defensive backs Adrian Amos, Tony Brown and Will Redmond, were all on the injury report last week.
If one or more of these defensive backs are not suited up for the Packers, it will be hard for them to cover Golladay, who may have a career day against this depleted unit.
1. Aaron Rodgers has not been himself this season
While Rodgers has posted some remarkable numbers over the past few weeks, he started off the season rather slow, and the Packers have won more games this season because of their defense and balanced offensive attack, rather than relying on their star quarterback to carry them to victory.
Earlier in this decade, there was an energy surrounding the Packers that they were unbeatable in Lambeau, but the Lions have not been afraid and have beat them on the road in the past two seasons. The Lions know how to play Rodgers, and will hit him in the mouth with that NFC North grit as often as they can.
Rodgers has proven to have struggled under pressure this season, so Patricia probably has some unique blitzes to confuse Rodgers and make him not feel comfortable in his home stadium.
Also, if Darius Slay returns to play in this game, the Lions can boast one of the deepest secondaries into the game. If they can hold Rodgers to under 250 yards and pick him off a few times, they can leave Lambeau with their third victory of the season.
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