Lions eager to face Rodgers, undefeated Packers

Even if the Packers and Lions were losing teams, the Thanksgiving Day game at Ford Field would still be a big deal, with tradition, pride and history taking center stage.   Add to the mix this year the Packers undefeated record and the fact this game has significant playoff implications and you have the biggest Thanksgiving Day matchup in more than a decade. 

When I spoke with Matthew Stafford two weeks ago, he told me he wanted the Packers to be undefeated when the Lions faced them.  Today, his teammates in the locker room agreed.

“I'm glad they're undefeated,” said linebacker Stephen Tulloch.  “Obviously they're a good team, take nothing away from them, but it's a tough division.  Whenever you play a division game, anything goes, so we're looking forward to the challenge.  It should be a good one.”

“I think we're the last team they lost to in the NFC,” said defensive end Cliff Avril.  “We'd definitely like to keep it going.  Definitely like to get another win against these guys, make 'em respect us, I guess.  Because they're looking past us I think.  They say 16-0... we're only in Week 11, so it kind of means you're looking past everybody.”

The slant from Avril was telling as it may have offered a glimpse into what’s motivating the Lions this week as they prepare for the defending Super Bowl champions and the best team in the NFL this year.

“I don't feel disrespected ,” said wide receiver Calvin Johnson. “I don't think that they should be looking past us. We put up a good fight with them last year - we took one of them, felt we could have had two but we didn't so we split the series with them last year so i don't think it's a game that you should look by.”

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers has played at an MVP level and has impressed the Lions as they’ve watched tape to prepare for Thursday’s matchup.

“I think he's special because he not only has a cannon and he's very accurate this year, but he's probably more dangerous when he's on the move and you get guys in his face and he creates and gives his receivers time to get open ,” said defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch. “So he's not just a quarterback with a great arm that's a stationary target, he's very mobile and when he gets on the move he can deliver strikes to his receivers.”

“He does a great job of managing the game,” said cornerback Eric Wright. “He's a great leader.  He has great confidence in his ability so that allows him to play at the high level that he does.  He makes throws that sometimes you just scratch (your) head and it's nothing short of amazing.”

The intensity at Thursday’s game will match what the players witnessed when the Lions hosted the Bears in October on Monday Night Football. 

“It's a championship game, there's no other way to look at it ,” said offensive guard Rob Sims. “This is big.  We're fighting for the division, fighting for respect.  You're fighting to beat the Bears record.  You're fighting for everything here and what better team to do it by than the best team in the league.”