Packers and Lions carve up must-see Thanksgiving TV 

by Rourke Decker, PackersHome.com 

When the NFL released its 2011 regular season schedule on April 19, it’s doubtful that anyone but the most passionate of fans circled the Thanksgiving Day game on their calendars.

After all, it’s not like the contests between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers have exactly made for compelling entertainment the past few years.

The Packers are 5-1 against the Lions since quarterback Aaron Rodgers took over the reins in Titletown—with an average margin of victory over 16 points.

In fact, the only two games that were even close were in the 2010 season. In the first game, the Lions intercepted Rodgers twice and held him to an uncharacteristically low 181 yards en route to a 28-26 defeat. In their second meeting, the Lions knocked Rodgers out in the second quarter with a concussion and went on to eke out a 7-3 victory.

But now that the Packers (5-0) and Lions (5-0) are the only two remaining undefeated teams in football, perceptions of this matchup are starting to change.

Fresh off their fourth Super Bowl victory, the Packers hold the league’s longest winning streak (11), while the suddenly resurgent Lions boast the league’s longest winning streak for regular-season games at 8.

With the Lions and Packers off to their best starts since 1956 and 1965 respectively, this game suddenly has all the makings of must-see TV.

Rodgers, the first NFL quarterback to post a career passer rating over 100, is on pace to post the best season of his career, while Matthew Stafford, who has only been sacked four times all season, is showing what he is capable of when he’s throwing behind a line that can keep him upright.

On paper, the two teams seem evenly matched. The Packers lead the league in scoring with 34.6 points per game, with the Lions ranked 4th at 31.8 points per game.

The Lions rank 4th in the league in points allowed (17.8 ppg), while the Packers rank 14th (22.2 ppg).

The Packers look to have a relatively easy schedule over the coming weeks, with a home game against the winless St. Louis Rams and two games against the Minnesota Vikings (1-4). The only teams likely to present a significant challenge between now and Thanksgiving are the San Diego Chargers (4-1), whom they play on the road, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2), who are still smarting from their humiliating 48-3 defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers (4-1) last week.

The Lions, meanwhile, face the 49ers next week, followed by a stretch of losing teams the Packers have already defeated handily: the Atlanta Falcons (2-3), the Denver Broncos (1-4), the Chicago Bears (2-3), and the Carolina Panthers (1-4)

It is thus conceivable that both teams could enter the Thanksgiving Day contest at 9-1 or even 10-0.

Only three times in league history have two teams started out 10-0 in the same season. Never have those two teams met while still undefeated.

If the Lions and Packers are to make history, both teams will have to remain relatively injury free, something that has proved problematic for both clubs in recent years.

The Packers have already placed safety Nick Collins on season-ending injury reserve with a neck injury, and offensive tackle Chad Clifton is out indefinitely with a hamstring problem.

The Lions have placed safety Erik Colmen on injured reserve, and their tight end Tony Scheffler was recently hospitalized with a concussion.

Despite the challenges facing these teams, it seems clear that absent a catastrophic late-season collapse, they find themselves in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed and top wildcard slots in the playoffs.

The Packers and Lions look to be on a collision course for the postseason.

The only question now is, who will flinch first?