The upcoming clash between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers has the potential to become the fiercest rivalry of the season, with many believing both teams could be the top contenders in the NFC.
They’ll meet Sunday at Lambeau Field to kick off the year, and with Micah Parsons now wearing green and gold, the matchup carries even more intrigue.
Despite being the home favorite, Green Bay might not like what ESPN analyst Seth Walder projected in his breakdown—especially regarding Detroit’s dynamic running back, Jahmyr Gibbs.
“One of my go-to stats is how running backs perform against man versus zone coverage,” Walder explained. “When facing man coverage last season, backs were targeted on just 10% of dropbacks and caught passes on 8%. Against zone, though, those numbers jumped to 18% and 15%. That’s nearly double the production. Now guess who finished third in receiving yards among running backs, and which team used zone coverage the second-most? Exactly—Gibbs and the Packers. That sets him up for a big game.”
Gibbs proved last season he’s among the NFL’s most electric playmakers, piling up 1,412 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 5.6 yards per carry, along with 52 catches for 517 yards and four receiving scores.
That said, the Packers did manage to keep him relatively quiet in their two head-to-head meetings in 2024, so there’s reason to believe Green Bay may already have an answer for him.
Still, this is a matchup to watch closely. With Green Bay’s revamped defense and Detroit’s explosive offense, the stage is set for one of the early highlights of the 2025 season.
