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November 23, 2011

Three-and-out: Can Lions prevent, repeat history vs. Pack?

A brief lookahead to Week 12's Green Bay-Detroit game:

The Packers are possibly on a path to the NFL's first 19-0 season and stand 10-0 for the first time since 1962, when they won the league championship. However they didn't get to 11-0 in '62 because the Lions beat them on Thanksgiving Day 26-14. The current Packers have won a club record 16 in a row dating to last season, though they lost in 2010 at Ford Field by a 7-3 score Dec. 12. QB Aaron Rodgers was concussed that day. Can Green Bay stay perfect? Can Detroit solidify its wild-card hold and get to 8-3 with its first Turkey Day win since 2003 (ironically against the Pack)? Tune in Thursday at 12:30 p.m. ET for the first game in a while that showcases a team Detroit is proud of and should quell recent talk that the Lions should no longer host this Holiday tradition.
CAPTION
By Andrew Weber, US Presswire
With two young quarterbacks leading a bevy of players into the national spotlight, this could be the latest shootout for two teams that have been in their fair share of them in 2011. Rodgers leads the league with 31 TD passes and Detroit's Matthew Stafford is second (25). Rodgers was 5-0 vs. Detroit until last year's loss; Stafford hasn't faced the Pack since his rookie season. The Lions must limit a seeming endless array of Packers offensive weapons while Green Bay must contend with Detroit WR Calvin Johnson, perhaps the most talented skill player in the league.
Matchup to watch -- Packers O-line vs. Lions D-line: The key to beating most quarterbacks is pressure, and Detroit's front four can generate plenty and got four sacks vs. the Pack last year in Motown when Rodgers went down in the first half. He's been bagged 25 times so far in 2010 and will again be without Pro Bowl LT Chad Clifton. It should be noted that the Lions struggle to stop the run (134.7 ypg allowed), and the Packers might be wise to feed RB Ryan Grant to keep them off balance.