Packers Trying to Avoid Letdown Against Lowly Lions

An emotional victory, a short week, a bad opponent and a holiday are potential barriers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – For Matt LaFleur’s NFC North champions, Sunday’s game at Detroit offers one more challenge.

The Green Bay Packers upset the Minnesota Vikings 23-10 on Monday night to wrap up the division championship. Afterward, it was an emotional and raucous locker room. For many of the team’s young players, it marked the first division title. For the team’s veteran players, it ended a two-year drought – an eternity by Green Bay’s standards.

Up next, it’s the regular-season finale against the Lions, a game that should be the football equivalent of a layup.

- The Lions have won only three games, including only one after a 2-0-1 start.

- With prolific quarterback Matthew Stafford on injured reserve, they’re down to third-stringer David Blough, an undrafted free agent who has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns.

- Stafford is part of a long list of impact players on injured reserve, a group that includes big-play receiver Marvin Jones, rookie tight T.J. Hockenson and three top linebackers.

- With a first-round bye just a victory away, there should be no shortage of motivation.

“You’ve got to check yourself and realize that we’re playing a team that’s, they’re still getting paid. There’s a lot of pride,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “It’s important that we approach this game understanding how much we have to gain from winning. Like I’ve said over the years, the great teams win these games. If we want to be that great team that gets an opportunity to be in the mix for the one seed, for sure gets a bye, gets a chance to relax for a week and get ready for an opponent, these are the kind of games you win.”

On the other hand:

- It will be a short week for Green Bay after a Monday night game, and a truncated week due to Christmas. Thursday is usually the big practice of the week. On a typical week, the team would work in pads, though that wouldn’t have been an option this week because coach Matt LaFleur had used the three padded practices teams are allowed to conduct over the final six weeks. This week, LaFleur held two walk-throughs on Thursday – the first with the base game plan and the second covering situations such as third down.

“There’s a lot of information being thrown at these guys,” LaFleur said. “It’s going to take an unbelievable concentration and focus in order to digest all this information and then go out and play good football.”

- On paper, this should be an easy victory. It would be human nature to exhale a bit – especially after going into the rival’s building and emerging victorious.

The circumstances will test LaFleur’s motivational skills. Having a chance to clinch a first-round bye should be enough of a carrot at the end of the stick. But not necessarily. Just ask the Seahawks, who were in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed until being manhandled at home by woeful Arizona last week.

“This a playoff game for us. There’s no doubt about it,” LaFleur said. “That’s the way we’re approaching it, because if you’re able to take care of business and win this one, you get a week off. Our guys have to understand that. When I watch the Detroit Lions, I see a team that is competing as hard as anybody, and they’re a physical football team and they do a really good job of creating turnover opportunities for themselves. It was a one-point game that went down right to the end, so we’re going to have our work cut out for us. Our guys have to get their mind right and get ready to go play another physical football game against a North rival.”