NFL News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Power Rankings

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown leaps into Lions fans as they celebrate the 24-14 win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Odds Lions Beat Packers in Week 1

Originally posted on Detroit Lions on SI | By Vito Chirco | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 12:41 PM ET

On Sunday, the Lions will begin their quest for a third straight NFC North championship and a franchise first: a Super Bowl title. And it'll come at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers, the team with arguably the best chance to dethrone Detroit atop the division.

A season ago, the Packers, led by seventh-year head man Matt LaFleur, won 11 games and captured a wild card postseason berth. It marked Green Bay's second consecutive playoff appearance.

The Packers, however, dropped both of their contests with the Lions.

In the first matchup between the two teams, the Lions went into Lambeau Field and dominated the second quarter. They scored 17 unanswered points in the quarter and led, 17-3, at halftime. They also never trailed a single second in the second half. Most notably, All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph returned an interception for touchdown in the final seconds of the opening half.

Meanwhile, in the second tilt between the divisional rivals, Detroit emerged victorious on a 35-yard field goal from Jake Bates as the game clock hit triple zero. Lions signal-caller Jared Goff threw for three touchdowns and 283 yards in the winning effort.

Headed into the 2025 campaign, Green Bay has a lot going for it. For starters, it returns signal-caller Jordan Love, who has thrown for at least 25 touchdowns each of the past two seasons, along with defensive playmakers Rashan Gary and Xavier McKinney.

Plus, the Packers made multiple impactful acquisitions this offseason.

Notably, the organization signed cornerback Nate Hobbs, and drafted receiver Matthew Golden in the first round this past April.

Hobbs, a fifth-year pro who has battled the injury bug in recent memory, allowed a catch rate of just 42 percent last season, ranking fifth-best in the league among cornerbacks who started at least seven games.

Meanwhile, Golden, a University of Texas product, is an impact pass-catcher who should help take the Packers’ passing game to the next level.

While Hobbs and Golden are certainly nice pick-ups, they pale in comparison to the magnitude of the franchise's trade for EDGE Micah Parsons.

Parsons, a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, totaled 52.5 sacks and 112 QB hits in four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

Additionally, in his final season in Dallas, he produced 70 total pressures, and earned a 91.6 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus. It was good for the fourth-highest pass-rush mark among 210 qualified EDGE defenders.

Undoubtedly, Parsons is the definition of a game-changing pass-rusher, and his presence could very well shift the NFC North in favor of the Packers.

However, there's a chance he doesn't play on Sunday. Per ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the All-Pro EDGE is currently dealing with an “L4/L5 facet joint sprain in his back.”

Subsequently, his status is uncertain for the Packers’ season-opening divisional clash with the Lions.

If he is unable to suit up, it will greatly benefit Goff, providing him with more time in the pocket and consequently a better chance to have success through the air.

At this present juncture, I'll give Dan Campbell's squad a 55 percent chance to secure the Week 1 victory.

This article first appeared on Detroit Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: