10 Most Important Packers for Thanksgiving Showdown at Lions

The Green Bay Packers are back in the winner’s circle after a dominant defensive performance spearheaded a 23-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

The degree of difficulty for this week’s matchup went up significantly. The Detroit Lions have a much better quarterback and a much better team than the Vikings. The first time these teams met, the Packers made a statement at Lambeau Field, bludgeoning the Lions to the tune of a 27-13 victory.

This time around, the two teams are jockeying for position in the NFC playoff picture. With a win, the Packers could be in first place in the NFC North by dinnertime on Friday night. With a loss, they could be out of the playoff picture altogether. The stakes are high, which is exactly what a team hopes for when they break training camp in September.

The Packers lost a 34-31 thriller at Ford Field last December, but did win in Detroit on Thanksgiving in 2023. That 29-22 victory was one of the catalysts to Green Bay making the postseason in Jordan Love’s first year as the starting quarterback.

If they’re going to win again at Ford Field, Love will need to play a starring role like he did on that day two years ago. More on that, and the rest of our top 10 Packers for this Thanksgiving Day showdown.

10.) S Evan Williams

Xavier McKinney continues to insist that the takeaways are going to come for Green Bay, and last week against Minnesota, it looked like those words were starting to become prophetic.

The Packers have at least one takeaway in every game since the calendar turned to November. They had one against Carolina and Philadelphia before getting two on their final two defensive snaps against the New York Giants.

Last week against Minnesota, they punished JJ McCarthy for two interceptions. One of which went to Evan Williams, who now has picks in back-to-back games, and leads the team with three interceptions.

Another game, another Williams INT

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/vB2G6ul5l9
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 23, 2025

“It was a pretty simple interception. I’m just overlapping from half field. They ran a little dagger concept, streak and a dig following behind and our middle run-through fell off and I was able to come through,” Williams said.

“As far as opportunities, I feel like we all understand that it’s at a premium right now to make those opportunities because we got six games in six weeks. The sense of urgency has to be up there. I feel like our locker room does a good job of understanding that and trying to take advantage of those when they come.”

The last time these teams met, Williams made a diving interception to take points off the board for the Lions just before halftime. In a game like Thursday’s, one play can mean so much. The Packers are going to need Williams to keep up his playmaking ways.

9.) CB Kamal Hadden

A burning question about Green Bay’s depth chart was who was going to step in at cornerback if they had enough injuries to require two of their four regular players to not be on the field.

That question finally found an answer when Keisean Nixon left Sunday’s game against Minnesota with a stinger. Nixon is questionable for Thursday. Even if he does play, Hadden may have earned some opportunities to see the field.

“I would say this about Kamal. Kamal has made as much progress as any player that we’ve had here,” Matt LaFleur said after Sunday’s game.

"Just to see where he’s come from to where he is now, and I think it’s totally reflective in terms of how’s he approached coming in the building on a daily basis. He practices the right way; he approaches it the right way. Really proud of him.”

The obvious caveat to the entire secondary’s performance is the opponent they were facing. J.J. McCarthy is not the quarterback that Jared Goff is at this stage of his career. Goff and the Lions boast an explosive passing game with the ability to strike at any time.

If Hadden is asked to play, this will be his first true test which will be in his home state. He feels he’s ready for that challenge.

“It’s amazing, man. It’s a hell of an opportunity,” Hadden said on Tuesday. “Ultimately, though, I want to do it for the team. It isn’t really about me even though I’m from Michigan or whatever. It’s for the team and I just want to go out there and win for the program. We deserve it. We earned it. I just want to do everything we can to help the team and organization keep going and they’re the opponent in the way so we just got to get them.”

8.) RG Anthony Belton

Green Bay’s offensive line saw a sizable change in Sunday’s win over the Vikings. Literally, and figuratively.

Jordan Morgan started the game at right guard, as he had done several times throughout the year. The second series of the game, however, was different. Anthony Belton was inserted into the lineup.

The two would rotate offensive series until halftime. From there, it was the Belton show for the remainder of the game. Did Belton do enough to earn a start on Thursday?

“Well, we'll see. We'll see where we're at. We'll go through our preparation. But I thought, you know, he came in there, and he did a great job,” coach Matt LaFleur said.

“I thought he showed the physicality and the strain that we're looking for at that position. Obviously, he's a big man, first time playing guard, but I thought, all in all, I thought he did a pretty good job.”

The Packers are searching for some help in their run game, specifically, on the offensive line, and that is where Belton can thrive. He also makes Green Bay’s interior offensive line massive. All three of him, Banks and Rhyan tip the scales at more than 320 pounds. That could come in handy against Detroit’s interior defensive line, which boasts first-round pick Tyleik Williams and Alim McNeil on the interior.

Would Belton be ready to be thrown into the fire in a hostile environment? He does not have a lot of experience, and has played in a dome once during his pro career.

That came in the preseason, a penalty-laden mess where Belton really struggled in the first half and was asked to play in the second half as well. That’s a rarity for players who are expected to contribute during the season.

Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich believes that is something that could help him when they take the field on Thursday.

“Yeah, certainly. I think any young guy that can go through that adversity and you can see how they respond and how they react and they come out of it and they do a good job,” Stenavich said.

“It’s very positive for them and that’s encouraging at a guess to say, ‘All right, this guy can go through some stuff and still have that self-confidence to go out there and play.’ So yeah, that was impressive.”

7.) DT Devonte Wyatt

Devonte Wyatt was back to being an impactful player last week against the Vikings. Wyatt started the season with a sack in each of the first two games, including one against these Lions.

He missed some time with a knee injury, but had been silent in the sack department since returning in late October against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had two sacks last week and provided interior pressure, which caused havoc against J.J. McCarthy.

Jared Goff is another quarterback who struggles when pressure is in his face. Two weeks ago against the Philadelphia Eagles, Goff and the Lions offense was dreadful as defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter helped wreck the game against Detroit.

The Lions scored nine points and never threatened to take the game from the Eagles. This week, Wyatt needs to be impactful against a Detroit interior offensive line that is banged up, including starting center Graham Glasgow and rookie starting right guard Tate Ratledge.

BACK-TO-BACK SACKS FOR OUR DEFENSE!

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/bwvwNrZZnN
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 23, 2025

Part of the reason Green Bay’s defense was able to dominate defensively in the first matchup was because of how well their defensive line played against Detroit’s new interior offensive line.

Wyatt was a big part of that, and he’ll need to do so again with all the extra attention that is paid to Parsons and the edge rushers.

6.) RT Zach Tom

Green Bay has Micah Parsons. Detroit has Aidan Hutchinson. Both are premier pass rushers. The last time these two teams met, Hutchinson was making his return from a broken leg that cost him the back half of the 2024 season where he may have been on pace for the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

He was silent against Green Bay in Week 1. He did not record a single stat in Detroit’s 27-13 loss. He’s looked a lot more like himself since that game. He has 8.5 sacks and is tied for first in the NFL with four forced fumbles.

Like Parsons, Hutchinson can wreck a game in a hurry, so the Packers will undoubtedly pay extra attention to him, but in a careful manner.

“Well, typically, when if you're going to double somebody, you got one less eligible that, you know, you can get out into the concepts and dependent upon what coverages they're playing, that could be a real problem.” LaFleur said about doubling Hutchinson.

“If they're playing some spot drop zone and you're only getting four out, I mean, you got one, and it's less people to cover. So I think every situation is a little bit different, and I think they do a good job of putting him in positions where they make it hard to double them situationally. So I think you just got to pick and choose your spots.”

5.) DT Colby Wooden

Remember all of the questions surrounding Green Bay’s run defense going into Week 1? One of those questions was how Colby Wooden was going to hold up in his first season as a full-time starter.

Wooden played one of the best games of his young career in Green Bay’s 27-13 win over the Lions. The Lions' run game, which undoubtedly is the biggest part of their identity, was shut down.

Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery had nowhere to run throughout the game. The longest run of the day for Montgomery was for 6 yards. The longest run for Gibbs was 14.

In total, the two backs averaged less than 2.5 yards-per-carry, and totaled 44 yards on 20 carries. It was a dominant performance by what was the biggest question mark coming into the season, and Wooden was a big part of that.

The Lions are coming off arguably their best rushing performance of the season. Gibbs broke two touchdown runs of more than 40 yards, which included a 69-yard touchdown that proved to be the game winner.

What’s the key to keeping Gibbs under wraps? Discipline.

"This is a game where you have to be really fundamentally sound against him and you better be where you’re supposed to be and you better run to the ball," defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said, because this guy, as you saw last week in overtime and in earlier periods of that game, this guy can go 80 like that.”

Wooden is the anchor of the Packers’ run defense, and there’s little doubt the Lions are going to want to exact some revenge for their performance in Week 1. Wooden being sound in his gaps like Hafley mentioned gets everything started.

4.) LBs Edgerrin Cooper/Quay Walker

Along with the front, the other key to slowing down Detroit’s backfield in Week 1 was the play of the linebackers.

Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper played arguably their best game as a tandem in Green Bay’s season opening win. The most eye-popping stat from that day was that Jahmyr Gibbs caught the ball 10 times, but could only muster 31 yards. The side-to-side speed of Walker and Cooper was on full display, and they made the tackle when they were in position.

This week, Gibbs will be on Detroit’s fast track at Ford Field where his speed can be even more lethal.

Isaiah McDuffie did a nice job filling in for Walker last week when he was out with a stinger. McDuffie can struggle with players in space, however so Walker’s athleticism will be a welcome addition back to the lineup if he can play.

“Yeah, I mean, we certainly miss Quay,” Hafley said on Tuesday of Walker, who is questionable. "He's been such a big part of what we've done."

3.) DE Micah Parsons

The New York Yankees dynasty of the 1990s had a constant at the back end of their bullpen. The lights would go out and Metallica’s Enter Sandman would blare through the speakers of Yankee Stadium as Mariano Rivera took center stage in the Bronx.

In Green Bay, the Packers have a man of similar stature who has become their closer, defensive end Micah Parsons. Parsons played the first time these two teams met, but was on a limited snap count that day. He will be able to handle a full workload this time around.

Parsons was given a hero’s welcome at Lambeau Field for that game in early September, and did not wait long to make his impact. Parsons sacked Jared Goff in a full display of his size, speed, and athleticism for his first sack as a Packer. That was the first of what has been five sacks in the fourth quarter this season, which is second in the NFL behind only Houston’s Danielle Hunter.

Last week, the Packers took a 17-6 lead in the second half, and Parsons took center stage, knowing it was time to close the game out.

“I told him," Hafley said. "He said we could start a trend, and he thought it was really cool and wanted to do it. So how cool would it have been the other night if when we walked out on that final drive, ‘Enter Sandman’ started to play, and he closed out the game with a sack?

“He loved it. He didn’t know. I said, ‘Do you know who Rivera is?’ He’s like, ‘No.’ And I told him. I said he’s the greatest closer of all time, and when he came out, they played ‘Enter Sandman.’ He walked out of the bullpen, and everybody started screaming and going crazy, and you knew the game was over. Whether it was three outs or one out or whatever it was, he was going to put them down. I told Micah that’s who he is, he needs to put people to sleep. So I think he’s a fan.”

Parsons did not wait long to put the Vikings to sleep, sacking J.J. McCarthy on the first pass attempt after the Vikings fell behind by two scores. That play was a message as if he simply said the game was over.

Parsons would add another sack as well as a bulldozing of Vikings center Ryan Kelly, which led to a sack for defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt.

Parsons’ two sacks put him at 10 for the season, which puts him in a similar light. Those two sacks gave him 10 for the fifth consecutive season to begin his career. The only other player who has accomplished that, was former Packer, and arguably the greatest defensive player ever, Reggie White.

Parsons’ impact has been undeniable on the team. The last time these two teams met, Parsons put the Lions to sleep, and the Packers kept the pressure on Goff.

This time around, the Packers hope that once again Jared Goff is sleeping with one eye open with Parsons ready to take him off to never never land.

2.) S Javon Bullard

In terms of jumps that players have taken in their second season, no player has been better in that regard than defensive back Javon Bullard.

Bullard has become the team’s primary nickel defender, and earned the opportunity to stay there if cornerback Nate Hobbs returns to action in the near future.

This week, however, Bullard will have a big test in front of him. Lions star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is arguably the league’s best slot receiver after Seattle’s Jaxson Smith-Njigba.

The first time these two teams met, St. Brown was quiet as was most of Detroit’s offense. For the season, however, he has not been. Brown has 75 catches for 884 yards and nine touchdowns, including one last week against the Giants. St. Brown is one of their best players, and he’ll often be matched up with Bullard in big situations.

“He’s a good player,” Bullard said succinctly.

“Knows scheme, knows how to get open, and he knows the system that he’s in pretty damn good. Just a good player, for sure.”

1.) QB Jordan Love

Green Bay’s quarterback could be the top player on this list every week. That’s just the nature of this business. Quarterbacks get all the attention, good or bad.

Love was not asked to do much last week, but played well in the team’s win over Minnesota. This week against Detroit, however, the Packers will not simply be able to take the air out of the ball if they’re going to beat the Lions.

The last time these teams met, Love was brilliant, throwing two scoring strikes on the team’s first three possessions, leading the team to a 17-3 lead at halftime.

Furthermore, Love has been brilliant at Ford Field, specifically on Thanksgiving in 2023. The Packers made a statement that day, allowing Love to air it out to Christian Watson on the game’s opening play.

That 53-yard strike was a statement to the Lions that the Packers were not going to back down against a favored opponent. Love finished with 268 passing yards, three touchdown passes, and a passer rating over 125 to lead them to a 29-22 victory.

The last time Jordan Love played the Lions in Detroit on Thanksgiving? He feasted.

• 268 passing yards
• 3 TDs
• 0 INTs
• 125.5 QB Rating#Packers hoping for the same result come Thursday. pic.twitter.com/lvcuAaQ1av
— Kyle Malzhan (@KyleMalzhan) November 26, 2025

Maybe Love just likes turkey? Last year on Thanksgiving he was excellent against the Miami Dolphins with 274 yards passing, two touchdowns, and a passer rating of 129.2.

The Packers might not need that level of performance against the Lions, but they need their quarterback to be at his best, while playing with a separated left shoulder that caused him to hand the ball off with his right hand exclusively a week ago.

“We’ve just got to keep stacking those days, man, keep trying to be as consistent as possible as a player and as a team,” Love said.

“Keep building on the good things we’ve done and obviously trying to limit the negative things and just clean up, like I said before, the details. Everybody being on the same page. That’s what’s cool about the season is as you go through it, you go through, you see a lot of different looks, and obviously coaching up the things we’ve done wrong and try to keep stacking and keep improving on those as best as possible.”

Here are the latest NFC playoff standings and postseason probabilities. Nothing has changed for the Packers in that they have almost no margin for error.https://t.co/2eNTfJuc1R
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) November 25, 2025