Lions QB: Who's Under Center, and What's the Real 'Plan' for 2025?
Title Fulfillment: Thanksgiving Throwdown: Will the Lions Finally Feast on the Packers, or Will Green Bay Spoil the Holiday?
Okay, let's get real. Thanksgiving Day football. Lions vs. Packers. It's the same story every year, right? The Lions should win, everyone wants them to win, and then... they choke. But this year? They're favored by 3 points. Vegas thinks they've got this. The fans think they've got this. Even my grandma, who thinks Aaron Rodgers still plays for Green Bay, thinks they've got this. But do they really?
Goff's Gotta Goff (But Can He?)
Look at Jared Goff's numbers this season: 23 touchdowns, almost 2800 yards. Not bad. Not bad at all. But here's the thing about Goff – he's like that fancy sports car you can't quite trust in the rain. He can put up monster stats, but he also has a knack for throwing interceptions at the worst possible moments. And let's be real, the Packers defense, even with all their injuries, is playing with some goddamn fire right now.
Five sacks against the Vikings last week? Holding them to, like, nothing on third down? That ain't no joke. And Micah Parsons? Dude's got 10 sacks already. He's only the second guy since 1982 to do that in his first five seasons. Reggie White? That's the company he's in. Micah Parsons, Kingsley Enagbare meet at QB for third-down sack vs. Goff - NFL.com
So, yeah, Goff should carve up the Packers secondary. But can he handle the pressure? Can he avoid the boneheaded mistakes that always seem to plague him? I mean, the Packers already beat them once this season. And if he can't, what then? Do the Lions finally start looking at who is the lions qb for the future? Lions qb depth chart changes incoming?
Love's Confidence vs. Reality
Jordan Love says the Packers are playing with "a ton of confidence" after back-to-back wins. Okay, sure, confidence is great. But confidence doesn't block defensive linemen. Confidence doesn't catch passes. And confidence definitely doesn't make up for the fact that half their damn team is listed as questionable with injuries.
Lukas Van Ness, Josh Jacobs, Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, Zach Tom, Quay Walker, Dontayvion Wicks, and Javon Bullard... are you kidding me? That's a damn hospital ward, not a football team. And Love, while he's shown flashes of brilliance, is still inconsistent as hell. He completed passes to ten different receivers in the first game against the Lions. Which is great, I guess, if you're into spreading the ball around. But sometimes, you just need a guy to go out there and make a play. Someone like, I dunno, Davante Adams? Oh wait...
Plus, Matt LaFleur says he hasn't noticed a difference in Detroit's offense with Dan Campbell calling the plays. Give me a break. Campbell's a maniac. You don't think that impacts the team? Week 13 opponent: What the Packers are saying - Detroit Lions
Thanksgiving Jinx or Turkey Triumph?
The Lions are 8-12 ATS on Thanksgiving over the last 20 years. EIGHT AND TWELVE. That's not a record to be proud of. That's a record that screams "we're cursed!" Are the Lions qb cursed? Is that why they can't win on Thanksgiving? And offcourse, you got the historical context. Detroit is 37-45-2 all time on Thanksgiving.
But… the Lions are 6-5 against the spread this season and 8-3 in their last 11 as a favorite. Maybe, just maybe, this year is different. Maybe, just maybe, they've finally exorcised the demons of Thanksgivings past. Maybe my grandma will finally stop asking about Aaron Rodgers.
This Smells Like Another Lions Letdown...
Look, I want to believe. I really do. But I've been burned too many times. The Lions are the masters of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. They're like the Washington Generals of the NFL – always entertaining, but never, ever winning when it counts. So, yeah, I'm calling it now: the Packers will find a way to win this game. Some fluky play, some questionable call, some boneheaded mistake by the Lions... it's gonna happen. I just know it. Then again, maybe I'm just a cynical bastard.