They were humiliated at Lambeau. Now they want revenge in Detroit.
Three weeks ago, the Green Bay Packers were punched in the mouth on their own field. The Detroit Lions stormed into Lambeau Field in Week 9 and left with a 24-14 win that felt even worse than the score suggested.
Green Bay trailed 24-3 early. The physicality gap was obvious. The message was clear.
But Thanksgiving night changed the tone.
After a commanding 30-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins — their third straight win and second in five days — the Packers aren’t whispering about improvement anymore. They’re declaring it.
And they’re headed straight into a rematch next Thursday at Ford Field.
Head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t dodge the contrast.
“We’re being physical in every phase of football,” he said. “That gives you a chance every week.”
That word — physical — wasn’t associated with Green Bay in Week 9. The Lions dictated terms. They bullied. They imposed their will. But the version of the Packers that just left the locker room on Thanksgiving looked and sounded different.
And the numbers back it up.
The Red Zone Resurrection
When Detroit beat Green Bay in early November, the Packers went just 1-for-4 in the red zone. At that point, they were converting touchdowns inside the 20-yard line at a shaky 47.1% clip for the season.
Since then? A stunning 73.3% touchdown rate in the red zone over the last three games — including a stretch of nine consecutive touchdown drives inside the 20.
That’s not a tweak. That’s a transformation.
Quarterback Jordan Love has settled in. Earlier in the season, turnovers haunted him — 10 interceptions through that Lions loss, including a pick-six by Detroit safety Kerby Joseph. In the three games since, Love has thrown just one interception. Thursday marked his second straight game without a pick.
Against Miami, Love completed 21 of 28 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns. Efficient. Controlled. Decisive.
“We know who we’ve got coming up,” Love said, referencing Detroit. “But I think the rhythm we’re finding on offense… we’re in a good spot.”
Jacobs Delivering the Muscle
If there’s a symbol of Green Bay’s new edge, it might be running back Josh Jacobs.
Signed in free agency to bring toughness and reliability, Jacobs is now delivering exactly what the Packers envisioned. He has scored five touchdowns in the past three games and has surpassed 100 yards from scrimmage in five straight — tied for the longest active streak in the NFL this season alongside Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson.
Against Miami, Jacobs piled up 43 rushing yards and 74 receiving yards. He’s not just grinding defenses — he’s wearing them down.
That balance has made Green Bay’s offense unpredictable and punishing, a dangerous combination heading into Ford Field.
The Defense Waking Up
And then there’s the defense — once questioned, now quietly surging.
The Packers held Miami to just 39 rushing yards on 14 attempts. Yes, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 365 yards and two touchdowns, but much of that production came late with Green Bay already up 27-3.
More importantly, the Packers sacked Tagovailoa five times.
That pass rush, largely missing in the first half of the season, has suddenly arrived. Defensive tackle Kenny Clark recorded his first sack of the year Thursday. Linebacker Quay Walker is coming off arguably his two best games of 2024.
“We’re a different team,” Clark said bluntly. “We’re playing better together… eliminating mistakes.”
Not perfect — penalties still linger — but cohesive.
The Division from Hell
The NFC North has turned into a battlefield.
Detroit sits atop the division at 11-1. The Vikings are 9-2. The Packers are 9-3. According to ESPN Research, this is the first division since the 1985 AFC East to have three teams with at least nine wins through Week 13.
Safety Xavier McKinney, who joined Green Bay after four seasons with the Giants, put it simply:
“I haven’t been 9-3 since I’ve been in the league. It feels amazing — but we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Since Week 4, the Packers are 7-1. The only loss? Detroit.
Only two teams in the league have been hotter over that span — the Eagles (7-0) and the Lions (8-0).
This isn’t just a rematch. It’s a measuring stick.
Linebacker Eric Wilson downplayed the mystique: “It’s not a crazy feat to play these guys. They play hard, they play together. We’re built on a similar philosophy.”
But philosophy won’t matter if Green Bay falls behind 24-3 again.
The first meeting exposed flaws — red zone inefficiency, turnovers, inconsistent pressure. The Packers insist those issues are behind them. The numbers suggest they might be right.
Still, Detroit hasn’t blinked. The Lions survived a scare from Chicago earlier on Thanksgiving and remain firmly in control of the division.
If Green Bay wants more than a wild-card path — if they want control, legitimacy, and perhaps revenge — next Thursday night is the moment.
Are the Packers truly reborn? Or did they simply catch momentum at the right time?