GREEN BAY – Xavier McKinney and the Packers want no reminder of what is at stake this Thursday evening at Ford Field.
Not solely is that this a rematch with Detroit after a 24-14 loss to the Lions final month nevertheless it’s additionally a pivotal showdown within the ultra-competitive NFC North, which is on tempo to shatter its most wins in a season because the 2002 NFL division realignment.
Since Week 9, Detroit (11-1), Minnesota (10-2) and Green Bay (9-3) have gone a mixed 11-0 to determine themselves as three of the NFC’s premier groups. NFC East-leading Philadelphia (10-2) was the one different staff within the convention to eclipse 9 wins by the primary 13 weeks.
McKinney, the Packers’ marquee free agent signing at security this offseason, has had this sport in opposition to Detroit behind his thoughts because the loss at Lambeau.
The defeat was disappointing, however McKinney entered Green Bay’s Week 10 bye believing in his staff.
“I had texted the fellows as quickly as we bought on the bye week and I used to be like, ‘Look, after we come again, let’s win all of those video games,'” McKinney stated. “Mentally, that is the place we’re at and that is what we’re making an attempt to get completed. But we all know we have got to take it one step at a time, at some point at a time, and we’ll work to perform that aim.”
The Packers have not gotten a lot assist in their pursuit of the division leaders, although. Of the six mixed losses among the many Lions, Vikings and Packers, three have come in opposition to one another.
Minnesota and Detroit each topped Green Bay at Lambeau Field whereas the Lions edged the Vikings 31-29 in a Week 7 conflict at U.S. Bank Stadium.
While the Bears have tailed off since their 4-2 begin, the NFC North remains to be set to demolish its earlier excessive win complete because the realignment. The outdated black-and-blue division received 36 video games in 2011, although that determine was buoyed by the Packers successful a franchise-record 15 regular-season video games.
With 34 mixed wins, the 2024 North is already tied for the third-most wins in a season by the division because the NFL’s 2002 divisional realignment. In addition to the 36 video games it received in 2011, the NFC North received 35 mixed video games in 2023, 2014 and 2007.
By far, this yr’s division has the very best successful proportion (.708) of any NFC North season since realignment (.563 in 2011). That competitors has Lions coach Dan Campbell excited for Thursday evening’s matchup.
“I feel when you hit December, it is arduous to not begin to start to search for a bit bit and I imply that in a great way,” stated Campbell at his Monday information convention.
“You can begin to scent the playoffs a bit bit. You can begin to see what’s out in entrance of you, what’s at stake. You know you are effectively inside the race, and I feel it simply provides you a bit little bit of, I do not know man, pleasure.”
With 5 video games left to play, nothing has been decided within the NFC North apart from Chicago (4-8) has been knocked out of division title competition. If the Packers, Lions and Vikings maintain tempo, although, it could mark the primary time in 23 years Green Bay’s division has despatched greater than two groups to the playoffs.
That got here in the course of the last yr of the NFC Central in 2001 when Green Bay and Tampa Bay superior as wild card groups whereas Chicago obtained a first-round bye because the No. 2 seed.
The playoffs should not what the Packers take note of in the mean time, although. November was about holding tempo with the Lions, which they did with wins over Chicago, San Francisco and Miami.
It simply so occurred the Lions and Vikings additionally did not blink, with each groups surviving shut calls to construct their respective successful streaks. It’s the primary time each Minnesota and Detroit have had double-digit wins in the identical season since 1970.
“It’s only a tribute to the toughness of the North,” tight finish Tucker Kraft stated. “Teams within the North, we’re simply enjoying powerful soccer. We’re making an attempt to win our division, get that first-round bye.”
The Packers are also in good standing after going undefeated in opposition to the AFC (5-0), which included a sweep of the AFC South, they usually’re at the moment 3-0 in opposition to the NFC West. Their 9-3 mark could be good for a three-game lead within the NFC South and two-game lead within the West.
All that issues, nonetheless, is the place they stand within the North and a win on Thursday evening would pull each Green Bay and Minnesota inside a sport of Detroit for the lead within the NFL’s best division.
“The NFC North opponents are all the time big video games,” receiver Christian Watson stated. “Every sport is a large sport at this level within the season for us. It’ll undoubtedly be big for us to even it out between us and provides us an opportunity to complete off the season the best way we need to.”
The Packers have a well-established observe file of robust finishes underneath Head Coach Matt LaFleur, who brings a 18-2 file within the month of December into Thursday’s sport.
The Lions really feel they’ve loads of momentum, too, after claiming back-to-back seasons of double-digit wins for the primary time within the staff’s 94-year historical past.
“This is why you are on this enterprise,” Campbell stated. “The race is on and it is simply good, man. This is top-tier stuff and it is for one of the best of one of the best and this factor’s going to go all the way down to the wire.”
