PLAYER NOTES
–QB Aaron Rodgers started and played every snap in last week’s meaningless victory over the Jets. Presumably, he’ll be back in the lineup for Sunday against Detroit. However, his blind-side protector, two-time All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, did not practice on Wednesday. LG Lane Taylor, who was knocked out of the Jets game with a leg injury, was back at practice.
–WR Davante Adams, who ranks among the NFL leaders with 111 receptions, 1,386 yards and 13 touchdowns, did not practice on Wednesday because of a knee injury suffered on the second drive of last week’s game at New York. He played all but four snaps in that game and caught 11 passes. “I see myself being out there,” he said. “I’m always going to be optimistic. A little sore right now, but we’ll play it throughout the week and see how it feels.
–WR Randall Cobb, who is sixth in Packers history with 469 receptions, will be a free agent at season’s end. He missed last week’s game at the Jets with a concussion and did not practice on Wednesday. “I think Cobb is absolutely very dynamic, very explosive,” Lions head coach Matt Patricia said. “He’s a playmaker, somebody who just does a great job of getting open in critical situations. He’s a go-to player, very well trusted by the quarterback.” Rookie receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, who has taken some of Cobb’s snaps, also is in the concussion protocol.
–OLB Clay Matthews, who has 3.5 sacks, played a season-low 27 snaps against the Jets – easily his fewest of the season after averaging 48.4 snaps in the first 14 games. He did not practice on Wednesday because of a back injury. Matthews has a chance to play in all 16 games for the first time since the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: RB Jamaal Williams. Williams started the season as the No. 1 running back, a title he held through the Week 7 bye. At that point, Aaron Jones took over as the primary running back. However, with the explosive Jones on injured reserve – he leads the NFL with 5.47 yards per carry – the ball is back in Williams’ court. He’s responded by playing the best football of his career. Against the Jets last week, he carried 15 times for 95 yards and one touchdown and caught six passes for 61 yards. The only other running backs on the roster are Kapri Bibbs, who was signed off waivers last week, and rookie Lavon Coleman, who was promoted from the practice squad on Saturday.
GAME PLAN: As recently as a couple years ago, opponents rarely blitzed the Packers for fear they’d be destroyed by quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his perimeter weapons. The Jets, however, blitzed, blitzed and blitzed some more last week. Rodgers had a big game but also took a beating. The Lions like to blitz, too. Of their top four sack producers, three are linebackers (Devon Kennard, 7.0; Jarrad Davis, 5.0; Eli Harold, 4.0). If the Packers can protect Rodgers, there are plays to be made against a Detroit defense that is 31st in opponent passer rating.
Even with rookie running back Kerryon Johnson on injured reserve, the Lions have continued to run the football. Zach Zenner has provided a spark the last three games with 30 carries for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Zenner and LeGarrette Blount will be a challenge for a Packers defense that has relied heavily on six-defensive back packages throughout the second half of the season. Last week, Green Bay held the Jets’ Elijah McGuire to 35 yards on 14 carries. If the Packers can stop the run, they’ll take their chances against the Lions’ depleted receiver corps.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Packers WR Davante Adams vs. Lions CB Darius Slay. Two of the best at their positions will take center stage on Sunday. Adams needs two catches and 134 receiving yards to break franchise standards in those categories. He has scored a touchdown in 11 of 15 games. Slay, who has three interceptions and 15 passes defensed this season after league-leading figures of eight interceptions and 26 PBUs last season, has made the Pro Bowl each of the last two seasons. He is the rare cornerback who truly shadows a receiver. Whether Adams is on the outside or in the slot, he’ll see No. 23.
–Packers CB Jaire Alexander vs. Lions WR Kenny Golladay. This one comes with an asterisk, because the Packers’ top cornerback and the Lions’ top receiver did not practice on Wednesday. Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine used Alexander, the team’s first-round pick, to match up one-on-one against the likes of Atlanta’s Julio Jones and Minnesota’s Adam Thielen in recent weeks. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Alexander shadowing Golladay, who leads the Lions with 70 receptions for 1,063 yards and five touchdowns. With Golden Tate traded and Marvin Jones Jr. placed on injured reserve, Golladay is the last man standing in what had been an elite receiver trio.
