GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers (7-3-1) face a dramatically different Detroit Lions (7-4) team Thursday than the one they dominated in Week 1, as Detroit has transformed into one of the NFL's most dangerous rushing attacks.
The Lions have surged to third in the NFL in rushing, averaging nearly 139.8 yards per game — a stark contrast to the 46 yards Green Bay held them to in September. The transformation coincides with Jahmyr Gibbs emerging as one of the league's premier running backs to rank third (951 yards) and head coach Dan Campbell taking over playcalling duties.
"We all know [Gibbs] is a dynamic player, but we got to swarm him, man," Packers nickel Javon Bullard said. "We can't just think that one man is going to make that tackle. He's proving to make guys miss in this league, and so as many hats as we can get to the ball, the better success we are going to have with him for sure."
The Packers held a walk through today.
— weston hodkiewicz (@WesHod) November 25, 2025
Only change on injury report is Keisean Nixon (neck), who was upgraded to limited. pic.twitter.com/QhfYgnX3V6
Defensive end Rashan Gary acknowledged Detroit's aggressive approach while emphasizing the need for disciplined defense.
"They're aggressive, they're gonna take their shots, but we just have to stay true to ourselves and understand that we might give up some, but we've got to stay tight and try to keep [Gibbs] bottled up the most we can," Gary said.
Watch: Lions rushing offense poses new challenge for Packers defense in Week 12 divisional matchup
For Green Bay's defense to replicate its dominant performance against Minnesota — where it effectively pressured quarterback J.J. McCarthy — the Packers' offense must match Detroit's high-scoring attack by establishing early momentum.
"We always want to start fast, but I mean, kind of just like I was saying earlier in terms of just being able to break their spirit and get after them early," wide receiver Christian Watson said. "The quicker you get after him, the more adjustments and everything they have to make, and the tougher it is for them."
Micah Parsons talked today at length about the mindset it takes to be great and his hatred of losing.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) November 25, 2025
He said he once didn’t talk to his girl for two days because she beat him in Scattergories.
“The only time I’m a primadonna in life is when I’m playing them board games.” pic.twitter.com/rKiLBEdpL2
Quarterback Jordan Love emphasized his commitment to winning regardless of game plan, referencing Sunday's run-heavy strategy against the Vikings that raised eyebrows but proved effective on the short week.
"I'm all about winning games, and that's the bottom line," Love said. "So, however we got to go out there and win it, we'll do what we need to do. If you gotta throw the ball 50 times, we'll do that. If you throw it 10 times – you know, that's just what happens sometimes, and we'll play how we do it."
Watson noted Tuesday that his body felt better than typical at this point in the week following a game, crediting the run-heavy approach for preserving players' health on the short turnaround.
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