The last time the Packers played the Lions, Detroit was killing Green Bay's dream of a magic playoff win by ending the Packers 4-game win streak with 20-14 victory. It was the Lions 3rd straight win in the series and completed their 3rd sweep of the Packers in the last 6 seasons.

Since then, both teams have made changes. The Packers have a new quarterback and cleaned out all their veteran pass catchers. Meanwhile, the Lions look like they have one of the best draft classes in recent memory, with multiple contributor on each side of the ball.

WHEN THE PACKERS HAVE THE BALL

Jordan Love is hot.

He was productive in his first two games, but showed real command and leadership in last week's exhilarating 4th quarter comeback. He led the team to three late scores (and a two point conversion) against a good, physical defense despite missing half of his offensive line, his top running threat, and his best deep threat.

Tonight, it looks like Aaron Jones and Christian Watson will be available, as least for limited snaps. While that will provide a big boost to the offense, but the offensive line is running on fumes. David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins are both out and Zach Tom is questionable. If the line can't function tonight, the Packers will have a really hard time.

Detroit's defense is not the pushover it used to be.

Alim McNeill and Benito Jones are a pair of big run-stuffing defensive tackles that can really clog the middle. Josh Myers and Royce Newman are going to have their hands full.

On the edge, Aidan Hutchinson is a beast. After getting 9.5 sacks en route to All Rookie team honors last year, Hutchinson is fresh off an impressive 2 sack performance against the Falcons last week and leads the NFL with 19 pressures through 3 weeks. The Packers battered offensive tackles (whoever they may be) will also have their hands full trying to slow him down.

The Lions defense has also been bolstered by a couple impressive rookies. Linebacker Jack Campbell and safety-nickel Brian Branch have proven versatile and effective. Campbell came out of college with a physical, run-stuffing background, but has flashed in pass rushing situations. Meanwhile Brian Branch, one of the draft's most surprising fallers as the consensus top safety, has lined up all over the secondary and made his presence felt.

The Packers will need to account for the Lions defensive playmakers, but without stable blocking, that could be a challenge. 

Matt LaFleur's game plan did a good job of spreading the ball around last week, throwing short and long, down the middle and outside the numbers. LaFleur will need to monitor his blocking closely to adapt his offensive play-calling throughout the game.

Luke Musgrave, Jayden Reed, and maybe even Aaron Jones will be important secondary receiving options that need to stress the Lions coverage horizontally while Christian Watson stretches the defense vertically.

That is, of course, provided they can all suit up.

If they can't, Green Bay may really struggle to establish the run or spread the Lions defensive backfield, which could doom this game.

WHEN THE PACKERS ARE ON DEFENSE

Everyone seems to hate Joe Barry, but the Packers defense really hasn't been that bad this year. Outside of the 4th quarter in Atlanta, this unit has been pretty solid, giving up less than 20 points per game.

Now, the Packers defense faces their biggest test of the season with the media-darling Lions coming to town on a short week.

The Detroit offense hasn't started off as a hot as they did last year, but they've been a productive unit again. They've also been a balanced unit, The Lions rank 7th in passing yards (having passed for at least 240 yards each game) and 11th in rushing yards (and rushed for over 100 yards in each game).

Jared Goff has been efficient and effective this year, spreading the ball around to a strong trio of receivers, Pro Bowler Amon-Ra St. Brown and solid 2nd and 3rd options in Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond. Luckily for the Packers, speed merchant Jameson Williams is suspended for Detroit.

The big story of the Lions passing game this year, though, has been a couple more rookies.

Tight end Sam LaPorta is on pace for a historic rookie season (if you think Luke Musgrave has been productive as a rookie tight end, LaPorta has 50% more yards). Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs has been the team's best runner and also ranks third on the team in receptions.

Look for Detroit to play a wide open, spread offense that will challenge the Packers banged up defense. De'Vondre Campbell is out with an ankle injury, which will make it harder for the Packers to stop the run and chase Gibbs on outlet passes. Quay Walker is going to need to be active tonight for the Packers to keep up. Jaire Alexander is questionable with a back injury. Even if he plays, he likely won't be full speed - back injuries are really tough on defensive backs who need to back pedal, turn, and pivot to stay with receivers. The Green Bay defense will need guys like Rasul Douglas and Darnell Savage (who is quietly putting together a pretty solid season), to pick up the slack.

Coverage gets easier with a strong pass rush. After Rashan Gary's big game last week, the Packers will lean on him even more to create pressure and throw the Lions offense off track. He may find success against a Detroit line with injuries of its own. Starting right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai is out for tonight, while left guard Jonah Jackson is questionable. Lions starting left tackle Taylor Decker is questionable tonight and his backup (Matt Nelson) is out. If Decker can't go, the Lions will have to do a lot of shuffling, which could give the Packers an edge in the trenches. On top of it all, Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow has been dealing with a toe injury. He's slated to play, but if it flares up, the Lions would really be in trouble with the way the Packers linemen have been playing this year.  

This matchup could very well come down to how healthy the Lions offensive line is.

OTHER NOTES

Detroit has turned the ball over every game (2 interceptions and 3 fumbles lost), so the Packers should be attacking the ball in what looks like a challenging matchup for their defense.

The Lions rank 10th in opponent starting field position, so this would be a great week for Keisean Nixon to break off his first game-tilting return of the season.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This is not the same old Lions. GM Brad Holmes has stocked both sides of the ball with young talent and, under the leadership of a veteran quarterback, they have meshed well. They're playing with swagger after knocking off the defending champion Chiefs in Arrowhead to start the season, and riding a 3-game win streak against the Packers.

Don't look for them to lay down, this has become their biggest rivalry over the years and they come hard.

The Packers, meanwhile, are dealing with a lot of injuries, but have confidence and momentum of their own.

Turnovers could loom large, as could the carryover excitement of the home crowd. However, unless the Packers offensive line, missing their best starters, plays some kind of inspired ball against a strong Lions front, this game looks like it could go to the bad guys.

Packers 20, Lions 24