Ford Field, 4:25 p.m. Eastern on Fox. Packers and Lions, NFC North, the kind of game both towns circle in August. Green Bay arrives having won three in a row. Detroit arrives rested off its bye. Paul Lindgren keeps the Packers' championship ledger, and it's a long one. Martin Sorensen speaks for the Lions with the urgency of a man who knows championship windows don't stay open forever.
Paul: Martin, I'll start with a fact. The Packers have more wins and more championships than any franchise in NFL history. Thirteen titles. Four Super Bowls, including the first two.
Martin: And I'll start with one too. Detroit is a big city. Green Bay is a very nice small town. We build cars. You build cheese.
Paul: We build cheese hats, Martin. There's a difference. And we wear them to Lambeau Field, which you may have heard of.
Martin: Detroit has four NFL championships of its own.
Paul: Lovely. Remind me when the last one was?
Martin: You're a cruel man, Paul.
Paul: I'm a Packers fan, Martin. We're raised on frozen tundra and honesty.
Martin: You're raised on bratwurst and smugness. I've been to Lambeau.
Paul: Then you know the bratwurst is worth it.
Last week, Packers: Green Bay beat Dallas 23-13 at Lambeau Field. It could have been more lopsided: three potential touchdown passes were dropped. The defense intercepted Dak Prescott twice in the second quarter, and Dallas didn't score in the first half.
Paul: The defense is the story. Jonathan Gannon's group is swarming. Xavier McKinney, Keisean Nixon and Javon Bullard are flying around. Love missed a few, the receivers dropped a few, and we still won by 10. I'll take it.
Last game, Lions: Before the bye, Detroit crushed Arizona 45-21 in Glendale, scoring on seven straight drives. Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes, two to Jameson Williams, and ran for a fourth. Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 151 yards and two scores and set an NFL record with 58 touchdowns before his 25th birthday, passing Lions legend Barry Sanders. Detroit scored three touchdowns on fourth down. Dan Campbell went all-in with an aggressive plan after a shaky start to the season, and his players answered.
Martin: That's the urgency I'm talking about. This roster has a window, and Campbell knows it. Aidan Hutchinson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Gibbs, Sam LaPorta. You don't waste years with players like that.
The matchup: Green Bay's run game averages just 3.2 yards a carry, and Detroit allows 4.4, so the Packers need to find something on the ground or Love will be throwing into the teeth of a pass rush that gets home on 9.1% of dropbacks. Hutchinson against the Packers' tackles is the matchup of the day. On the other side, Gibbs against a Packers defense that has been stingy is strength against strength. St. Brown and Williams against McKinney and the Green Bay secondary should be fun all afternoon.
The numbers: Detroit has scored 164 and allowed 148 in five games. Green Bay has scored 127 and allowed 125 in six.
Martin: One more thing, Paul. Thanksgiving. We host the whole country every year. You're welcome.
Paul: We appreciate the turkey. We'll enjoy it in Green Bay, after another win.
Martin: In a dome, the turkey never gets cold.
Paul: At Lambeau, nothing stays warm. That's the point.
Two old rivals, two teams with real hopes, and a Sunday afternoon in Detroit that should feel like January.
My call: Packers 27, Lions 26.