Would you be surprised to learn that Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has never thrown for 300 or more passing yards against the Detroit Lions in his career?
Sure, Love only has one 4,000-yard passing season, but the Lions' defense has struggled in recent years in the passing game. Surely, a QB of Love's caliber and his penchant for big time throws would've eclipsed 300-yards at least once in his seven games against Detroit, right?
Kelvin Sheppard and his defense will look to keep that streak alive this Sunday against Love and the Packers. The Lions enter Sunday's game with one of the worst secondaries in football, allowing 1,487 passing yards, which is fifth-most in the league and most among teams that have had their Bye week. The next most among teams that have played five games? The Carolina Panthers at 1,110 yards -- 25th most in the league.
Love is in the middle of his best passing season yet, throwing for 1,684 passing yards in his six games so far, which is third most in the league despite a 59.7 completion percentage. That percentage is a little deceptive as the Packers lead the league in passes dropped (20), which is a lot of potential yards to leave on the board.
Love's career high against the Lions was 273 passing yards in 2024, and he hit 250 just one other time in 2023. Overall, Love has averaged 221.29 passing yards in his seven starts against the Lions. However, passing yards aren't everything. His 234 passing yards weren't an issue last Thanksgiving, where he threw four touchdown passes in a 31-24 win.
So it's going to take more than the secondary stepping up to stop Love and this Packers' offense.
Lions' pass rush has struggled to sack Love
To keep Love under 300 passing yards, and win, on Sunday, the Lions' pass rush needs to do something they rarely do -- sack Love.
In Love's seven starts against the Lions, he's been sacked seven times. Five of those sacks came in the September 2023 game, which the Lions won 34-20. The only sack since then was a seven-yard loss in the Lions' primetime December 2024 victory. Just one sack of Love in three years, with all three of Love's win vs. Detroit coming during that three-year stretch.
This season brings with it a great opportunity to change that. The Lions' pass rush has been among the league's best, leading all teams with 20.0 sacks. Love has been sacked 13 times this season and at least twice in all but two games. He was sacked three times in the Packers' 23-13 win against the Dallas Cowboys.
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The Cowboys' defense is, let's be honest, atrocious. That says a lot coming from someone who watches the Lions' defense. That Cowboys' defense held Love to 276 passing yards and the Packers' offense to 23 points. Love had just one TD pass to one interception. It was a subdued game for Love, and the Cowboys getting to Love played a part in that.
The Packers have struggled to field a quality offensive line this season after a rash of injuries, and has been deep in the well of available linemen, including signing two former Lions in Laken Tomlinson and Kevin Zeitler.
The Lions' newly explosive pass rush can feast on this depleted Packers' O-line, and if they can frequently get to Love, that may disrupt him enough for Brian Branch and the secondary to take care of business and shut down the Packers' offense on Sunday.
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