Free Pick: Detroit at Green Bay 9/20/21

Coming off a horrible loss to the Saints in the opener, the Packers return to Lambeau Field on Monday night against the Lions. Green Bay’s performance has raised a lot of eyebrows across the sports world and it will be interesting to see how they react. Detroit was getting blown out at home to the 49ers, before making a late rally to make the score look closer than it was.

Scouting Green Bay: Most of the criticism has been directed towards Aaron Rodgers and it is true that he was mediocre. He completed 15 for 28 for 133 yards with no touchdowns and 2 interceptions. They only managed 43 total yards rushing for the game. A.J. Dillon led the team in rushing with 19 yards while Davante Adams was the leading receiver with 5 catches and 56 yards. Obviously, they were terrible on offense. It is widely known that Rodgers has been unhappy, but he has said this week that there is no reason to panic, and it’s only one game, and everyone needs to relax. The easiest way to get Packer fans to relax is for him to play better and act interested. Lost in the concerns for the offense, it should be noted that the defense gave up 171 yards rushing which is cause for alarm on that side of the ball too. So, can we just end this by saying it was a total team meltdown against New Orleans.

Scouting Detroit: The Lions have to be happy about their offensive output against the Niners. New quarterback Jared Goff completed 38 out of 57 passes for 338 yards in his Detroit debut. He was instrumental in the late comeback attempt. T.J. Hockenson, D’Andre Smith, and Jamaal Williams combined together on 24 catches for 218 yards and two touchdowns, so there appear to be some weapons for Goff to work with. Defensively, is another matter entirely. San Francisco ended up with 441 yards of total offense and were only forced to punt twice in the game. They will have to play much better in future games.

There is no doubt that the Packers have more talent than the Lions. But, if there are internal problems at Green Bay and issues throughout the locker room, that can play a big part in how a team plays. Detroit showed some heart and character last week but they still lost and were it not for a late comeback everyone would be saying it’s the same old Lions. One would have to think that Green Bay has enough pride to bounce back at home in front of the home crowd and straighten things out. The Packers are an 11.5 point favorite.

DUDES WHO BET SPORTS PICK: Green Bay -11.5