There’s no shortage of drama as the Green Bay Packers welcome the Detroit Lions to Lambeau Field on Sunday in a high-stakes matchup, with both teams fighting for survival as the regular season nears its end.

Green Bay simply needs a win to punch their ticket to the playoffs, while Detroit must win and also rely on the Los Angeles Rams to beat the Seattle Seahawks in order to qualify.

It’s been a challenging year for the Packers, but they’ve stayed in the fight and now control their own playoff fate heading into the final game.

Head coach Matt LaFleur had his players ready last weekend against archrivals Minnesota Vikings, as they racked up over 300 total yards for the fifth straight week and earned a fourth consecutive victory.

The Packers’ defense has played a huge part in their recent success, allowing under 21 points in each of the last four games and coming up with three interceptions in back-to-back weeks.

Though they held Dalvin Cook to just 27 rushing yards, stopping running backs has been tough overall, as Green Bay has surrendered over five yards per carry this season.

Last week marked the first game since early December in which they avoided an interception, and their ground attack came alive against Minnesota, racking up 163 rushing yards.

At Lambeau, the Packers have won three of their past four contests, holding opponents to under 20 points in each of their last two home appearances.

Playing in a crucial January matchup is rare territory for Detroit, but the Lions enter this weekend with a chance to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Their high-powered offense has carried them, including last Sunday when they gained over 500 yards against the Chicago Bears—the second time they’ve hit that mark this season.

The Lions have consistently put up big yardage, ranking fifth in points per game at 27.1 and third in total offense, averaging 383.6 yards each outing.

While head coach Dan Campbell has brought energy to the team, his defense has struggled with consistency throughout the season.

Detroit’s defensive woes include allowing 4.8 yards per carry and a league-worst eight yards per pass attempt.

Turnovers have been a key saving grace for them, including two forced against Chicago, and they’ve forced at least one in all but two games this year.

Offensively, staying ahead of the chains has helped Detroit succeed, with the team averaging over five yards per play in each of their last five games.

Though his stats weren’t flashy, cornerback Jaire Alexander shut down Justin Jefferson, limiting him to just one catch for 15 yards on five targets.

Meanwhile, Darnell Savage, Jonathan Ford, and Adrian Amos each recorded interceptions in that same game.

Robert Tonyan was the only Packer to haul in a touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers, who threw for 159 yards, supported by a strong rushing attack—Aaron Jones ran for 111 yards, AJ Dillon scored a rushing TD, and Allen Lazard added 59 receiving yards on five catches.

Injury concerns include Josiah Deguara (calf), Keisean Nixon (groin), Rudy Ford (wrist and knee), and David Bakhtiari (knee and abdomen issues).

Jared Goff had a stellar outing for the Lions last week, notching a 133.5 passer rating with three touchdown passes, two going to Brock Wright, while Amon-Ra St. Brown reached 100 receptions and DJ Chark continued his solid run with 55+ yards in four of his last five games.

On the ground, Jamaal Williams tallied 144 rushing yards and a touchdown, while defensively Josh Paschal recorded two sacks, Aidan Hutchinson snagged a pick, and James Houston added three sacks.

Green Bay holds a commanding 105-74-7 all-time advantage in this rivalry, though Detroit has taken the last two meetings, including a 15-9 win earlier this year where Kerby Joseph intercepted Rodgers twice and Shane Zylstra and James Mitchell each caught touchdown passes from Goff.

At Lambeau, however, the Packers have won the last three against Detroit, most recently in September 2021, when Aaron Jones had three receiving touchdowns and one rushing score in front of 77,000 fans.

Davante Adams added eight catches for 121 yards, while De’Vondre Campbell finished with an interception and 10 solo tackles in that dominant performance.

These high-pressure, win-or-go-home games are familiar territory for the Packers, and that experience may give them an edge over a Detroit team still learning how to win on the biggest stages.

Detroit’s offense is legit, but Green Bay’s secondary is built to counter it—and with the Lambeau crowd behind them, the Packers have a strong chance to come out on top.