In the realm of league rankings, the Packers and Lions running game couldn’t be any closer. Indeed, Green Bay has been doing a nice job on the ground, averaging 156.9 yards rushing in the current year alone and ranking number 5 all through. Detroit is just trailing at 156.7, ranked sixth. But the manner in which these two NFC North rivals approach it on the ground is far different as they prepare to meet Sunday at Lambeau Field with first place in the division looming.
Beginning with Detroit, the Lions affixed themselves to a truly legitimate two-headed ground attack with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery to back it up. The carries are pretty evenly divided—Gibbs has 92 rushes while Montgomery has 93—and so are the touchdowns—Gibbs has six while Montgomery has seven—and yet they have achieved a total of 1,006 rushing yards. They’re stop-and-go engines and ABS with their diverse body frames and speed patterns. Gibbs is listed as a 5-9, 202-pound speedster and a ‘home-run hitter’, said Head Coach Matt LaFleur, who added he has had TD runs of 45 and 70 in the Lions two matches.
At the same time, Montgomery outweighs Jones by 30 pounds and is a 5-11, 230-pound, run-first physical force that LaFleur described as ‘one of the most physical backs in the league’. ‘What you need to know is that you had better have a tackling plan if you are going to get in the face of this guy because he is going to try to knock you over.’ The Packers are, however, a team that is plenty familiar with both.
Gibbs is in his second season in the NFL but of course, in his college days he played for Georgia Tech before transferring to Alabama. His defensive coordinator, Jeff Hafley, was the head coach at Boston College when they played Gibbs twice. Hafley recalled Gibbs scoring an opening kickoff in one of the games and thought he had a future in the pro league. The only way to slow him down is to make him turn around and face the direction of the defending team that has more pursuit.
Amid the many topics that Hafley says are going to be dealing with Gibbs, he says, “It’s going to be about alignments, being precise with them, understanding the leverage you should have on the ballcarrier and then setting edges.” As you know, you have to draw lines and return a ball. If this guy gets the perimeter and he doesn’t have to stutter his feet, then there’s a good chance he’ll be gone. For Montgomery, this will be his tenth career game against Green Bay if he traces his history to his time in Chicago. His high point performance was in the first Packers-Lions last season match at week 4, whereby, despite the Packers’ loss, Crockett gained 32 out of the total (121) with 3 touchdowns.
That tough, grind-it-out style of play before Gibbs had crawled his way into rookie season and started receiving more attention as a contributor is what Josh Jacobs has brought to Green Bay thus far for the offense, the most valuable free agency acquisition. This season, Jacobs has rushed for 145 times, which is on par with Baltimore’s Derrick Henry for the most by a single back.
His 667 yards rank fourth. Following him in terms of workload for a Packers is second-year pro Emanuel Wilson, who carried the ball 51 times for 226 yards. He and newcomer Chris Brooks have supported Jacobs and filled for him occasionally, but the position is evidently Green Bay’s staple feature back. “Josh has been that steady force for us all season, just having those chippy runs, getting 4, 5, 6 yards and then obviously (we) just keep feeding him until he breaks that big one like he did,” said quarterback Jordan Love, reminiscing about Jacobs’ season-long 38-yard TD run at Jacksonville last week. He is a very talented runner. I never really took time to look at the ability he has of just making guys miss in the hole. He’s very elusive. Of course the numbers might not be there touchdown-wise but he is a very huge part of our offence and helps us get going.
They may be arriving at those touchdowns, however. Jacobs had only one rushing touchdown before last week, although he scored his first career receiving touchdown the week before that. He rushed for two scores against the Jaguars in more than a 25-carry, 127-yard performance when Love and backup QB Malik Willis each played one half nearly. Whether it is Allen or White starting at quarterback on Sunday, Jacobs’ll be prepared to do whatever he’s told.
He was not at practice Wednesday due to a sore ankle stemming from the Jacksonville game and is listed as questionable on the report, but said he will be ready to go. In short, the 5-10, 223-pounder needs work to be productive, needs work to be creative, needs work to be fulfilled. It somewhat showed back in Week 2 when Jacobs went to town during Willis’ first start for the Packers, where Jacobs rushed for 151 yards on 32 carries, the first Green Bay running back to do 30-plus in a game for 16 years (Ryan Grant 2008). The pressure he demonstrates alongside his professionalism has been appreciated. How much adoration the 2022 NFL rushing champ has accrued in the Packers’ locker room in a short span. “I can’t recall to this team anyone who practices harder than he does, who runs as hard as he does,” receiver Christian Watson said. “We see it every day.”
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FAQ
Which two NFC North teams are in this contest?
The showdown pits the best against the best in the NFC North, which helps explain the division’s intensity.
That are in this match of NFC North?
And three of the best running backs of NFC North will be featured for their ability to burst, control the ground and team impact.
Why do they say that running backs are critical to this game?
The teams need these runners to perform for their offence and these players can alter the pace of the game.
Will this confrontation change the outcome of NFC North?
As much as this game may affect each team in the NFC North and their playoff standing and division supremacy.
What should fans look out for in a running back clash that involves two teams from the NFC North?
Look for tough ground battles; these two running backs and solid highlights showcasing each and every team’s offense will be in this game.