By MARQUES EVERSOLL
When the Packers have the ball: Points will be scored. Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in the NFL, and Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb are simply better than Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis.
If the offensive line can keep Rodgers upright, it’s going to be a long day for the Lions’ defense. However, if Detroit’s defensive line can get penetration and pressure Rodgers, while the front seven, as a whole, stops Eddie Lacy and running game, then the Packers could find themselves in trouble. If Ziggy Ansah and/or Nick Fairley is unable to go for the Lions, the Packers should be doing cartwheels in the locker room.
When the Lions have the ball: Points will be scored. As good as the Packers’ cornerbacks are – and they are – they simply don’t have a 6-foot-5, 240-pound corner who can match Calvin Johnson pound-for-pound and stride-for-stride. Megatron will get his.
Matthew Stafford will put up some gaudy numbers, and Reggie Bush will likely give the defense some problems in the middle of the field. However, if the Packers can force just a couple Stafford turnovers, they’ll be in business.
Big Game Alert: Packers WR Randall Cobb
The Lions started the season with Bill Bentley as their slot corner, then he suffered a torn ACL and was replaced by fourth-round rookie Nevin Lawson, who dislocated his ankle. Smells like a big day for Cobb, who will see plenty of action in the slot. He has 11 catches but just 97 yards through two games, but his three touchdowns lead the team. I’m expecting a Sunday stat line that looks something like: eight catches for 110 yards.
PREDICTION: Packers 38, Lions 34
Get ready for an old-fashioned shootout. The over/under for this game is inexplicably 52 ½, and there could very well be 52 points scored by the end of the third quarter. Of course, this is the NFL so this game may turn out to be 13-10. But probably not.
Both offenses can throw the ball all over the field. Both teams can run the ball. The Lions have question marks in their secondary, and the Packers have issues in the front seven. It’ll come down to one or two plays that decide the game, and in those situations, I’ll always side with the quarterback. Rodgers outduels Stafford.
You can hear Marques on SportsLine, Monday through Friday 4:00-6:00pm on WDUZ 107.5 FM and 1400 AM “The Fan” and on the Saturday Morning Showcase at 8 am on Saturdays. You can follow him on Twitter @MJEversoll and/or email him at [email protected].
