Throughout the course of the regular season Tim Twentyman will answer 10 good questions from his Twitter account @ttwentyman in a feature we call "10 Questions with Twentyman."
20man: I was actually thinking the same thing when questions started rolling in. It certainly has been fun covering meaningful football in December and January. Here's hoping it becomes the norm around here moving forward under GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell.
20man: Campbell, and the players I've talked to this week, say absolutely not, but it's human nature to feel a little bit of a letdown if Seattle wins.
I think the fact that this is a nationally televised game and it's still a chance to play spoiler to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers will still be plenty of motivation. He's torn the hearts out of Lions fans so many times. To return the favor would give all involved a sense of joy.
Playoffs or not, a win Sunday means a winning record and eight wins in their last 10 after starting 1-6. There's a lot of momentum in that to carry into the offseason and next season. I see a Campbell-led team playing hard with playoffs on the line or not.
20man: Here's a quote from offensive coordinator Ben Johnson from Thursday I found interesting.
"Yeah, I mean it's each week we're trying to push the envelope a little bit and maybe learn a couple of different routes that he hasn't been taught yet or put him a little different spot," Johnson said. "So, yeah each week we're trying to do that and it's just how fast can we get him along, feeling comfortable with it and it's been – I hoped it would click just a little bit faster than it has, I think we all have.
"But it takes time sometimes and we're not losing faith, we're going to keep pressing it and it'll end up clicking at some point he'll have a big game and be like, 'OK, that's why. That's why we took him where we took him.' And that's why he can help us so much."
Jameson Williams missed all of the offseason training program and training camp and the first 12 weeks of the season. We saw with the screen and the reverse they are trying to get the ball in his hands but some of it is also on Williams showing them he can be in the right sports within the scheme and be more diverse in his route tree.
20man: They better come to play first and foremost. They were dominated from the opening snap in that Week 16 contest. I don't think the cold is really a factor. It's supposed to be pretty nice Sunday in Green Bay for Jan. 8. Low 30s to mid 20s with no precipitation and light wind. Similar to how the weather was in New York in wins over the Giants and Jets.
What they learned more than anything else in Carolina is that they have to match the opponent's physicality from the jump.
20man: Linebacker Alex Anzalone.
He's the quarterback on the defense. He wears the green dot and gets them in and out of the right plays and makes sure everyone is in the right spots. He has to be on his game Sunday, particularly against the run, for the Lions to avoid a big letdown defensively after a terrific performance last week.
20man: That's really going to be an interesting subplot to this game. The Packers have generated 12 takeaways during their current 4-0 stretch. Detroit's been really good offensively of taking care of the football. Quarterback Jared Goff hasn't thrown an interception in 290 pass attempts dating back to this first Lions-Packers matchup Week 9.
I actually like Detroit to have the edge here. Goff has shown he's willing to check the ball down or throw it away and move on to the next play rather than take a chance at a turnover over the last nine games. It's a big reason why the Lions have won 7 of their last 9.
Rodgers has thrown 11 interceptions this season (three in the first meeting with Detroit), which has been uncharacteristic of him. Green Bay has also lost nine fumbles. The Lions' defense has made going after the football a priority. I think the Lions win the turnover battle and give themselves a chance to win late because of it.
20man: This is the NFL and anyone can win on any given Sunday.
Who thought a 2-14 Jacksonville Jaguars team could upset a 9-7 Indianapolis Colts team last season in Week 18 to prevent the Colts from going to the playoffs? There are a ton of examples like that late in the year.
Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams are division opponents and very familiar with one another. Anything can happen in those games. The Rams have a lot of pride as the defending Super Bowl champs. These two played Week 13 in Los Angeles and Seattle won 27-23 in come from behind fashion on a D.K. Metcalf touchdown with just 36 seconds left in the game. Anything is possible.
20man: I'd expect the one that's playing really well right now. I asked Goff this week what stood out about the Packers' defense, and he said it's the fact they have a premier player at every level. There are few holes to really attack.
Let's not forget the Lions scored only 15 points in the win over Green Bay earlier in the year. If not for three Rodgers interceptions in the red zone that's probably a different outcome. That being said, this is a healthy and more explosive Lions offense than the one the Packers saw Week 9. Let's just say I'd be a little surprised if this was a high scoring affair.
20man: It has been a little bit of a roller coaster for cornerback Jeff Okudah of late. The plan last week was to work Mike Hughes into the game because he's earned that with the way he's practiced of late. There wasn't a Okudah benching or anything. I'd expect a similar plan with Jerry Jacobs and Okudah starting and Hughes working into the game in certain packages or matchups.
20man: To me it's Goff and Rodgers.
This is a quarterback-driven league and this game Sunday will be determined by which quarterback makes the fewest mistakes and finds a way to make more big plays in the passing game. Simple as that.
