The temperature’s getting colder, but the playoff race is heating up. That’s doubly true when the Detroit Lions meet the Green Bay Packers on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 14.
In the midst of a stellar season, the Lions are roaring through the NFC and ready to take the next step: Detroit is on the precipice of the 2024 NFL playoffs, and a win against their division rivals Thursday night will secure it. All Detroit needs to punch its ticket to the big dance come January is a victory or a tie against the Packers at home Thursday.
The Packers need a win to keep pace in a highly competitive NFC playoff picture. Currently, the Packers (9-3) sit in the sixth spot – the second wild-card – for the NFC playoffs, but there’s plenty of competition for their seat.
Entering Week 14, only the New York Giants have been eliminated from postseason contention in the NFC. While that leaves plenty of other teams on the cusp of elimination, for now, 15 teams are still alive and vying for playoff positioning as the season enters its late stages. Of those on the outside looking at the current playoff picture, five are at or within a game of .500 as the regular season nears its end. That means every win is critical for Green Bay – and anyone else in the NFC.
The Lions and Packers meet in a critical divisional matchup on Thursday night. USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from tonight’s Packers-Lions matchup from Ford Field in Detroit below.
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Good news for the Lions: Alim McNeill has cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol and was cleared to return to the game. He was on the field for the play that resulted in Christian Watson’s fumble and will continue to anchor Detroit’s defensive line.
The Lions couldn’t get a touchdown after Christian Watson’s fumble, but thanks to a personal foul call on Quay Walker, they got into field goal range.
Jake Bates, the team’s first-year kicker, managed to get the ball through the uprights from 43 yards away. Bates is 20-of-21 on field goals to start his NFL career.
The Packers converted their biggest passing play of the day, a 21-yard completion from Jordan Love to Christian Watson. However, at the end of the play, veteran cornerback Carlton Davis knocked the ball out of Watson’s hands and the Lions pounced on it.
The Lions got off to a fast start, scoring on their first drive of the game, but since then, the game has devolved into a defensive struggle.
The Lions are outgaining the Packers 90-17 through 15 minutes and Green Bay logged negative-4 passing yards in the opening frame. Jordan Love has been under a lot of pressure despite largely facing Lions backups and has completed just 1-of-4 passes for 3 yards.
The Packers will need to find some rhythm on offense to get into the game with the Lions. Green Bay is averaging just 1.9 yards per play compared to Detroit’s modest mark of 4.5. 
Did Green Bay’s challenge throw Detroit off-kilter? The Lions ran the ball three consecutive times after the first down and only picked up 2 yards. Jack Fox punted it back to the Packers who will now look to get something going on offense.
The Packers burned one of their challenges early in their “Thursday Night Football” clash against the Lions. Head coach Matt LaFleur believed that Jahmyr Gibbs was stopped short of the line to gain on a third-and-4 from inside the Lions’ 20-yard line. The review showed that while Gibbs was contacted before the marker, his second effort got him enough to move the chains.
As a result, Detroit’s possession will continue while Green Bay was charged its first timeout of the game. The Packers now have one challenge remaining, though they can pick up another if they win their second challenge.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is now 0-5 on challenges during the 2024 NFL season. He has a career record of 17-24 when dropping the red flag.
The Lions defense continues to hold up well despite injuries. They once again pressured Jordan Love on a third-and-5 and forced him to throw a ball that he couldn’t get to his receiver.
Detroit might have gotten away with a roughing the passer on the play, as a Lions defender hit Jordan Love across the helmet just after the ball was released, but it went uncalled. The Packers punted the ball down to the 10-yard line, so the Lions will be backed up again for their third possession.
The Lions are already significantly shorthanded on their defensive line. Alim McNeill was their last remaining Week 1 starter healthy for Thursday’s game, but he is being evaluated for a head injury after suffering one on the first defensive play of the game.
The Packers’ defense held up much better on their second drive of the day. They limited Jahmyr Gibbs to five rushing yards on two carries before Jared Goff was chased down by Rashan Gary to force a three-and-out.
Jack Fox punted the ball from the back of his own end zone and the Packers will get the ball back near midfield.
The Lions don’t look like they’re missing too many players on their defensive line. They sacked Jordan Love on their first defensive play of the game and were able to stop Green Bay on its first offensive drive of the day.
Detroit pressured Love on a third-and-6 and the quarterback was forced to throw off his back foot to Dontavyion Wicks. That resulted in the ball going just a step too far in front of the second-year receiver.
The Lions will get the ball back on their own 8-yard line, leading 7-0 in the first quarter.
Dan Skipper is a backup tackle for the Lions who is starting at left tackle in place of the injured Taylor Decker. 
Skipper is an eight-year veteran who went undrafted in 2017 and has bounced around to seven teams. He has had four separate stints with the Lions but appears to have found a home as the team’s top backup tackle.
Skipper is the tallest active player in the NFL at 6-foot-10. He tips the scales at 330 pounds.
The Lions got the ball to start the game and methodically drove down the field to open the scoring. After an illegal contact penalty on third-and-goal, Detroit handed the ball to David Montgomery on the ensuing first-and-goal. He ran over the right side untouched to get a touchdown and give the Lions a 7-0 lead.
Jared Goff had a strong first series, going 6-of-8 for 58 yards. Jameson Williams had the longest reception, 28 yards, while Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs each had two catches.
The Lions have one of the best players in franchise history in attendance for Thursday’s rivalry game against the Packers: Barry Sanders.
Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, ran for 15,269 yards and 99 touchdowns on 3,062 career carries. He led the NFL in rushing yards four times during his 10-year career and was named an All-Pro six times.
The 22-year-old Jahmyr Gibbs is known for being a speedster, which is the reason he’s now also known as, “Sonic,” while the 27-year-old David Montgomery brings a physical style, making him worthy of being known as, “Knuckles.” 
“Sonic and Knuckles,” the nickname, was born in October in what has become a fun sideshow to a magical Lions season. — Nick Brinkerhoff
The Lions are 11-1 and their only loss came to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2. Jared Goff failed to throw a touchdown and tossed two interceptions in a 20-16 defeat. Baker Mayfield outdueled him, leading the team in passing (185 yards) and rushing (34 yards) while Chris Godwin racked up 117 yards and a touchdown on seven catches.
Detroit has won 10 consecutive games since that home loss.
The “Thursday Night Football” game between the Packers and Lions is set to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET at Ford Field in Detroit.
“Thursday Night Football” will exclusively stream on Amazon Prime Video. 
The Lions signed Jamal Adams to their practice squad ahead of Week 14 while dealing with a rash of defensive injuries (they have 13 defensive players on IR). Detroit elevated Adams for its Thursday night clash with the Packers, and he is expected to play.
Adams, 29, was the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft by the New York Jets. He was an All-Pro in 2019 and has recorded 498 tackles, 21.5 sacks and four interceptions in 83 career games. The Lions will be his fourth team.
The Lions are banged-up in Week 14, but fans got some good news about defensive end Aidan Hutchinson before the game. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported on the Amazon Prime Video broadcast that Hutchinson could return to action if the Lions make it to the Super Bowl.
Hutchinson was leading the NFL with 7.5 sacks before his injury.
For cord cutters looking for a live stream for the matchup, you can turn to Amazon Prime Video. Prime is the exclusive home of “Thursday Night Football” for viewers not tuning in from local TV markets. 
Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) will be in the broadcast booth for Prime Video, with Kaylee Hartung (sideline) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) providing additional coverage.  
The Prime Video pregame, halftime and postgame shows feature Charissa Thompson as host, as well as former NFL players Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman and Andrew Whitworth as analysts.  
Taylor Rooks is the feature reporter for Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” coverage. Albert Breer provides reports and analysis. 
Who will win between the Lions and Packers? Here’s what the USA TODAY Sports staff thinks:
The Lions are favorites to defeat the Packers, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Not interested in this game? Check out expert picks and best bets for every NFL game this week. 
Looking to make tonight’s game a bit more interesting? Here are some of the best bets to place: 
For more best bets, visit our “TNF” best bets guide. 
The Lions still sit atop of the NFC North, but the division could get very interesting if the Packers pull out a victory tonight. Here’s how they stack up: 
With three divisional games left in the final five-week gauntlet, the Lions are in the best position to win the NFC North. 
Detroit is the only team with a perfect record against NFC North opponents entering Week 14. They’re also in sole possession of first place in the division with their 11-1 record. 
For the Lions, a win against the Packers on Thursday would clinch a playoff berth and the head-to-head tiebreaker over Green Bay. 
The Packers are at a disadvantage when it comes to the NFC North title. Not only do they have the worst overall record, but they’ve also already lost head-to-head matchups with the Lions and Vikings, which has also (obviously) hurt their divisional record. 
Green Bay needs a lot to break their way to have a shot at the NFC North, but it isn’t impossible. A win over the Lions on Thursday would be a massive boost to their divisional title chance, as it would split their head-to-head matchups and ruin Detroit’s perfect divisional record. 
The Packers vs. Lions game on “Thursday Night Football” is being held at Ford Field in Detroit.
Ford Field finally hosted its first Lions playoff game last season, when the Lions defeated the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card playoffs. Ford Field was the host venue for Super Bowl XL, which was won by the Pittsburgh Steelers over the Seattle Seahawks.
Ford Field also is the host venue for college football‘s GameAbove Sports Bowl, which will take place on Dec. 26.
➤ Ranking NFL’s stadiums from 1 to 30: Where does Lions’ Ford Field rate?
Given that the Lions vs. Packers matchup is being played under the climate-controlled roof at Ford Field, Mother Nature will not be a factor in tonight’s game. 
The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowl wins with six. 
The Packers have won four Super Bowls in five appearances, including the first two Super Bowls (then called the AFL–NFL World Championship Game) under legendary coach Vince Lombardi, for whom the Super Bowl championship trophy is named after. The Packers’ most recent Super Bowl win came during the 2010 season in Super Bowl XLV. 
The Lions are among four NFL teams that have never appeared in a Super Bowl. The Lions, however, were a powerhouse team before the advent of the Super Bowl, winning four NFL championships, including three in the 1950s.
NFL franchises with most Super Bowl wins:
➤ Super Bowl winners: All-time scores, results for NFL title game
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