Packers-Lions Prediction: Will Green Bay Beat Odds So It Can Beat Rivals?

The Packers (4-2), who have won three consecutive games, will play at the Lions (3-2), who have been given one big advantage. Here are our Week 7 predictions.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love throws a pass against the Detroit Lions during last year's game at Ford Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

DETROIT – One of the biggest games of the season for the Green Bay Packers comes with one of the biggest scheduling mismatches imaginable.

The Packers are coming off a Sunday night home game. The Lions are coming off a Sunday at their homes with their bye week. So, Detroit – in a huge NFC North game, mind you, that could have playoff ramifications – has been given by the league a home game and a week of rest.

Will it matter? Here are our predictions.

Bill Huber’s Packers-Lions Prediction

Since the start of the 2020 season, teams with a home game after their bye are 63-41, according to Stathead. That’s an enormous advantage.

Will that alone decide the game? Probably not. But in a game between two quality teams – the Lions are 3.5-point favorites – it might not take much to be the tipping point. Eight consecutive games at Ford Field between the teams ended with a one-score differential; the last exception was in 2017, when Brett Hundley was the Packers’ quarterback.

Both teams are going to score points. A lot of points. The over/under of 55.5 points is the highest on the board at FanDuel.

The Lions on offense have been a well-oiled machine. It tallied 30 points in five of six games this season and is second in the league in scoring. Quarterback Jared Goff hasn’t thrown an interception all season. He is surrounded by probably the best quartet in the league with receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta.

Green Bay’s defense was great last week against the Dak Prescott-led Cowboys passing attack, but it didn’t have to contend with a back like Gibbs, who is arguably the best in the league – especially at home.

The Packers have been hit and miss on offense – which is about what you’d expect for a team with a big-time quarterback and two big-play receivers but with an inconsistent offensive line and an unimaginably bad running game.

The matchup is favorable, though, because the Lions’ defense has been terrible. It ranks 30th in points allowed and 32nd in total defense. At its current clip, it will threaten the 2011 Packers as the worst pass defense in NFL history.

For the Lions, the best defense has been a good offense. They are 3-2 despite allowing 20 touchdowns. According to Stats Perform’s Opta data, they are the first team in NFL history to allow 20 offensive touchdowns and have a winning record through five games.

Ultimately, three big issues stand the Packers’ way.

One, they have struggled to protect Love. Well, the Lions lead the NFL in sacks even while playing one fewer game than most teams. Can Green Bay’s tackles overcome the noise to keep Aidan Hutchinson away from Love?

Two, they have struggled to pressure the quarterback at times. Goff is an elite quarterback when given time. As coach Matt LaFleur said this week, “It’s hard for a quarterback to throw when he’s on his back.” Can the Packers put Goff on his back enough? Furthermore, the Green Bay defense will line up without Micah Parsons, Edgerrin Cooper and Zaire Franklin.

And, finally, there’s this festering problem: The Packers have fatal flaws they haven’t solved. Love has been stymied by 19 drops; no other quarterback has more than 11. They lead the league in penalties and penalty yards. Love has faced the third-most pressures.

“The simple stuff, whether from scheme-wise or the understanding of what we’re trying to get done, when you have some mistakes that can lead to negative plays, that’s the stuff we got to clean up and be better at,” Love said.

It’s those things that will put the Packers at a disadvantage in every big game – no matter the location or scheduling quirk – until they get them fixed.

Ultimately, the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win. Based on the first five games, it’s hard to believe that will be the Packers.

Bill Huber’s Prediction: Lions 31, Packers 27.

Bill’s Record: 3-2.

Jacob Westendorf’s Packers-Lions Prediction

The Packers have lost too many games like these in recent years, which have caused them to travel the long road in the postseason.

In 2024, they lost all but one division game, which played a significant factor in them being the seventh seed in the NFC playoffs. Last year’s late-season debacle in Chicago essentially sealed their fate that the wild-card meeting rematch would be at Soldier Field instead of the friendly confines of Lambeau Field.

Simply put, the Packers need to knock off the Lions on the road on Sunday to keep pace with those in front of them and remain in position to be a legitimate NFC North contender.

Will they? 

In a game where points should be scored in bunches, one mistake could be the difference. Who do you trust more to play clean and disciplined?

Dan Campbell's Lions or Matt LaFleur's Packers?

That, combined with the Lions being at home off a bye, gives them the nod. 

Jacob’s Prediction: Lions 34, Packers 31

Jacob’s Record: 3-3.

Even with drops (bad) and interference penalties drawn (good), the Packers' Matthew Golden is having the biggest breakout season by a receiver in more than a decade. ⬇️https://t.co/EsADb0e8gG

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 25, 2026

SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY PACKERS NEWSLETTER