Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images Taking a look at the Lions’ Week 9 opponent: The Green Bay Packers. A look at their strengths and weaknesses in our scouting report. Just as the Detroit Lions were getting comfortable at home with their 52-14 win over the Tennessee Titans, they head back on the road in Week 9. They just don’t play on the road, though; they go on the road in an NFC North divisional matchup with the Green Bay Packers. Detroit and Green Bay sit atop the NFC North, with the Lions at 6-1 and the Packers at 6-2. That means this game determines who is in first place in the division; either the Lions will keep the lead, or Green Bay could jump them and take over heading into their bye week. Green Bay has been on a winning streak, winning four in a row, but their biggest question heading into this game is quarterback Jordan Love’s health. Will he play this week, or could the team rest him before the bye and get him back to 100 percent health before playing the Chicago Bears? Let’s take a look deeper into the Packers in our Week 9 scouting report for the 2024 season. Green Bay Packers 2024 season thus far (6-2) Week 1: Lost to Philadelphia Eagles, 34-29Week 2: Defeated Indianapolis Colts, 16-10Week 3: Defeated Tennessee Titans, 30-14Week 4: Lost to Minnesota Vikings, 31-29Week 5: Defeated Los Angeles Rams, 24-19Week 6: Defeated Arizona Cardinals, 34-13Week 7: Defeated Houston Texans, 22-22Week 8: Defeated Jacksonville Jaguars 30-27 Stats: 6th in points scored, 11th in points allowed 8th in DVOA 5th in offensive DVOA (5th in pass DVOA, 6th in run DVOA) 12th in defensive DVOA (10th pass DVOA, 12th in run DVOA) 26th in special teams DVOA The conversation about the Packers starts with the offense and Love leading the charge. He had an impressive season in 2023 in his first year as the starting quarterback, and expectations for him this season were higher. Unfortunately, he has been dealing with a few injuries to start the 2024 season, and his play hasn’t been as consistent as last season. Love has thrown for 1,547 yards with 15 touchdowns and tied for the most interceptions in the NFL with nine. Love is tied for third in passing touchdowns, but his completion percentage is one of the lowest in the NFL at 61.7 percent. Jordan Love might not have a better throw this year. Bullet through the coverage for the touchdown. Beauty.pic.twitter.com/F3ROHOx3Nj— Jason B. Hirschhorn (@by_JBH) October 20, 2024 The Packers have some help in the running game, with running back Josh Jacobs off to a good start. He has 667 yards (fourth in the NFL), is averaging 4.6 yards per carry, and ahs three touchdowns. Jacobs is on pace to have the second-best season he has ever had. The depth behind him, though, isn’t impressive with running back A.J. Dillon out for the season, and Emanuel Wilson has 51 carries for just 226 yards. The plethora of options for Love to throw has also helped him be a playmaker as a quarterback. Wide receiver Jayden Reed leads the receivers with 31 catches and 507 with three touchdowns. Romeo Doubs is behind him with 26 catches for 384 yards and two touchdowns. Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks are also factors behind them, as they have a combined 29 catches for 388 yards and six touchdowns. Even tight end Tucker Kraft has started to emerge as one of Love’s favorite targets, leading the team in touchdowns with five on 24 catches for 342 yards. Even if the offense struggles, the defense for Green Bay keeps them in games with their ability to take the ball back from opposing offenses. The Packers lead the NFL in takeaways with 19, and safety Xavier McKinney is a big reason for that. McKinney leads the NFL in interceptions with six, and he started the season with a pick in five straight games before recapturing the magic against the Jaguars last week. Xavier McKinney has his 6th interception of the season! : #GBvsJAX on FOX : https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/vZJnbRI2oq— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024 McKinney isn’t the only defender making plays, as defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt leads the team in sacks with three. Defensive end Kingsley Enagbare leads the team in forced fumbles with two and has 1.5 sacks this season. Defensive linemen Preston Smith and Rashan Gary are still causing headaches for opposing offensive linemen, getting a combined 36 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and four tackles for loss. Injury notes Key players ruled out: RB A.J. Dillon (IR/neck), TE Luke Musgrave (IR/ankle) Key players to monitor: QB Jordan Love (groin), CB Jaire Alexander (knee), CB Corey Ballentine (ankle), LB Quay Walker (concussion), S Evan Williams (hamstring) The most significant question mark is with Love. Love already suffered an MCL sprain against the Eagles in Week 1 and missed two games. In the win over the Jaguars, Love left the game with a groin injury and didn’t return. According to NFL Networks Tom Pelissero, Love is considered “day to day” after the MRI on Monday confirmed his injury isn’t serious. He wasn’t the only significant Packer injured in the victory, as ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported that cornerback Jaire Alexander got an MRI on Monday and his MRI came back with good news of no “significant concerns“. He and Love will be the main two players to watch as their status appear up in the air for this week. Regarding the rest of the defense, rookie safety Evan Williams left the Jaguars game with a hamstring injury and didn’t return. Williams was seeing more playing time and becoming a contributor in the secondary. Against Jacksonville, the Packers were without cornerback Corey Ballentine and linebacker Quay Walker. Ballentine didn’t practice last week, and Walker was limited in practice. Heading into the matchup with Detroit’s offense, you will want every defender possible, so we will see if Green Bay can get those two back as well. Biggest strength: Wide Receiver It’s another difficult test for the Lions secondary, as they play the deepest wide receiver room they have seen in the Packers. Green Bay doesn’t have a starting three; they have four solid contributors who don’t just come out and catch a few passes; they find the end zone and score. Watson, the former No. 1 wide receiver on the roster, has fallen the depth chart but still contributes and creates plays for the offense. He has 13 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Reed has taken over the top receiver option and his speed and quickness are going to be a problem for whatever cornerback that lines up against him. It’s crucial for Detroit to have two deep safeties for the majority of the game. If they go in man coverage against Reed with no help behind the cornerback, it could be a big touchdown. #Packers had to have this play. Beautifully executed by Malik Willis and Jayden Reed. pic.twitter.com/NmdNCsR8dH— Lily Zhao (@LilySZhao) October 27, 2024 Even Doubs, who was suspended a week (Week 5) for conduct detrimental to the team, has been playing well since his return. Then, when you think it’s just Reed, Doubs, and Watson, then Wicks reminds you that he can find the end zone as well, as he has 16 catches for 192 yards and four touchdowns. Overall, the Packers’ passing attack is a game of pick your poison for opposing defenses. Biggest weakness: Run blocking Despite Jacobs’s success on the ground, some of his success is more due to his ability to make plays rather than the offensive line, which helps create holes for him. Of the starting offensive linemen on the Packers, only one has an above 60 run blocking grade according to PFF, and it’s right tackle Zach Tom, who has a grade of 83. The other starters’ grades aren’t impressive, as right guard Sean Rhyan has the next best grade, 58.2. Left guard Elgton Jenkins has a grade of 56.8, left tackle Rasheed Walker with a 45.5, and center Josh Myers with a grade of 43.9. As a team, their run blocking grade is 52.2, which ranks 30th in the NFL. So, if Green Bay wants to run the football, the right side is their best bet. Running on the interior and towards the left is an uphill battle they haven’t figured out yet. With Detroit still trying to figure out their defensive end situation, this could be a good week for Green Bay to try and bounce runs to the outside instead of fighting that tough Lions interior run defense. Key matchup: Lions secondary vs. Packers wide receivers Last week, despite the turnovers, the Lions secondary had a rough go against the Titans passing attack, which is one of the worst in the NFL. Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley was carving up any defensive back who went up against him, finishing with 10 catches for 143 yards. With the Lions struggling to slow down just one wide receiver, they are going to need to have their hands full with the Packers’ group of wide receivers. Green Bay has four wide receivers that can strike and cause damage, making it essential for each Lions secondary member to be prepared for whoever is on the field. The safety duo of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch will need to continue their dominance if they are going to win this game. They will need to help out whatever cornerback is coming their way with a receiver and try to create a turnover. Love can be reckless (if he plays), so a turnover or two could undoubtedly come their way. Even if Love doesn’t play, backup quarterback Malik Willis is capable of throwing the ball to anyone who can get open. The beauty of the Packers offense is that even if their starting quarterback goes down, their receivers are good enough to help elevate the play of the backup. Detroit can win this game if the Lions secondary can create turnovers or limit what the Packers receivers can do. Vegas line for Sunday: Lions favored by 3.5