Gary McCullough/Associated Press

‘Tis the season in the NFL: Midseason awards. So, how about a Green Bay sweep in the midseason Coach and Executive of the Year categories? After all, Matt LaFleur has nicely steadied his offensive ship through two Jordan Love injuries. The head coach has masterfully adapted the Packers to fit Malik Willis, acquired by general manager Brian Gutekunst just 12 days before the season-opener. The Packers are 3-0 over the three games in which Willis has played extensively, his two starts and last week’s game-winning drive.

But there’s another reason why Gutekunst deserves credit. He signed safety Xavier McKinney, the NFC’s October Defensive Player of the Month and arguably the league’s top unrestricted free agent from the ’24 class. Should Green Bay (6-2) overtake Detroit (6-1) on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX) at the top of the NFL’s best division, McKinney will play a starring role.

The Lambeau Field clash is the main event on this week’s NFL card. In fact, according to Elias Sports Bureau, it’s only the second Week 9 game in 36 seasons (1989-2024) featuring division foes each with six-or-more wins (Oakland beat Denver in 2016). That also means McKinney and the Packers will see the most complete offense they’ve faced all season.

During the Lions’ five-game winning streak, they’re the only team on record (since 1940) with more touchdowns (25) than incompletions (20) over any five-game stretch within a season. But there is a way the Packers can apply the brakes on that Motor City offense. Longtime analyst Greg Cosell said Thursday that watching Jeff Hafley’s Packers defense is among the NFL’s most entertaining because they get the most out of six- and seven-man fronts with late rotations, including McKinney and reigning Defensive Player of the Week Edgerin Cooper.

“So, what they’ll do is they’ll drop out three and it becomes seven on the back end in some form of zone coverage and a four-man pressure,” Cosell told Colin Cowherd on FS1’s The Herd. “They’re really good at that kind of disguise, the late rotation.

“Xavier McKinney is a master at being able to do that. He’s a terrific player, beyond the interceptions. He’s just a really savvy, smart player in coverage. So, they’re really, really good at that. Those are the kinds of things they do every week. They’ll do it against the Lions to try to slow down Goff. All you have to do is slow down the quarterback, as he’s dropping back, by half a beat and you may have an advantage.”

The bigger challenge for Green Bay, Cosell said, is defending the run. Detroit is off to its best start since 1956 largely because it ranks sixth in the league with 156.7 rushing yards per game. On the ground, Lions running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs have already combined for 1,006 yards, 13 touchdowns and 51 first downs. Green Bay’s rushing defense (111.6 yards allowed per game) ranks 10th in the league.

Since 1992, Green Bay is 28-5 in Wisconsin against the Lions. However, since Dan Campbell took the reins of the Lions in 2021, Detroit is 2-1 and enters on a two-game winning streak at the historic venue.


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By Zak Gilbert

Since his freshman year at the University of Colorado, Zak has worked 30 years in sports, including 18 NFL seasons. He's spent time with four NFL teams, serving as head of communications for both the Raiders and Browns. A veteran of nine Super Bowls, he most recently worked six seasons in the NFL's New York league office.

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