The Packers head to Ford field in Detroit on Sunday to play the Lions in what will be their first of back-to-back division road games. The NFL didn’t wait until the end of the season to stack the important NFC North games. With all four North teams sitting at 1-1, this game could go a long ways toward deciding the North.
Green Bay is coming off a comeback win at home against the Jets. The Jets led 21-3 at one point, but the Packers' offense gradually found its rhythm, scoring 21 unanswered in the 31-24 win. After lighting up the Giants at home in week one, Detroit struggled in Carolina last week only putting up 7 points in the 24-7 loss.
Keeping Aaron Rodgers clean is a must for the Pack. Focus in on the trenches, on the plays you see Ndamukong Suh match up with Josh Sitton. Sitton led all guards last year in Pass Blocking Efficiency and currently leads this year with 100% efficiency. Suh on the other hand ranks third out of all defensive tackles this year with six pressures and his Pass Rush Productivity rating of 10.2 ranked number two overall last year.
Here are a few names to keep an eye on Sunday.
Green Bay Packers
Josh Sitton – Arguably the best guard in the league, Sitton is also currently our top-graded guard at +6.1. He hasn’t allowed a hit or sack since Week 3 of last year.
Julius Peppers – Peppers was very active last week with three hurries, a hit, and a batted pass. His +5.4 grade was his highest since Week 4 of 2013.
Tramon Williams – Williams looks as good he was in the 2010 season when he had our fifth-highest coverage grade. Currently he tops all corners with a +4.2 coverage grade as he has only allowed five completions for 32 yards.
Detroit Lions
Calvin Johnson – Johnson has been targeted 24 times already this year, including a league high nine times on deep balls. He’s ranked fourth in our wide receiver Deep Passing signature stat as he’s brought in four of those nine throws for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
Stephen Tulloch and Deandre Levy – They picked up where they left off last year when they were one of our top-graded LB pairings. Levy is currently at +4.0 and Tulloch at +3.5. That puts them each in the Top 5 of their respective positions.
Darius Slay – After grading out at -7.1 for the season last year, Slay could be coming into his own. His Coverage grade of +2.9 currently sits at ninth. He’s had three passes defensed and only allowed a 40% completion rate.
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