Lions-Packers Take Center Stage Monday Night

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The stakes will be high on Monday night.

The Packers and Lions enter Week 6 as the only two teams in the NFC North with one loss. A win in the primetime showdown at Lambeau Field will no doubt send a message to the rest of the division and the conference on which team is a serious contender.

 

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 30: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers warms up before a game against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on December 30, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

 

"We only got one Monday night game, so we got to take advantage of that and let everybody know the type of team we are and the type of players we are," Lions safety Quandre Diggs said. "We just have to go out there and have some fun and enjoy the bright lights."

Detroit (2-1-1) has won four in a row against Green Bay (4-1) for the first time since the 1982 and 1983 seasons. Will Detroit's success last season, including a 31-0 drubbing at Lambeau, help the team slow down Aaron Rodgers on Monday night?

 

DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 29: Detroit Lions Head Football Coach Matt Patricia watches the action during the first quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Ford Field on September 29, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

 

"It probably makes me more nervous than anything to be honest with you, just knowing what a competitor he is," coach Matt Patricia said.

The Lions have won three of four at Green Bay after ending a 24-game road losing streak in the series in 2015.

 

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 30: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers lays on the ground after being sacked by Romeo Okwara #95 of the Detroit Lions during the first half of a game at Lambeau Field on December 30, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

 

"The toughest part of playing at Lambeau is the Packers," quarterback Matthew Stafford said. "It's not the environment."

AARON'S READY, BUT IS DAVANTE?

Rodgers has thrown for 300-plus yards and achieved a passer rating of at least 100 in four consecutive Monday night starts. That's the longest streak in the history of "Monday Night Football." But will the two-time MVP have to take the field for the second straight week without his favorite target?

 

DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 07: Davante Adams #17 of the Green Bay Packers makes a catch next to Jamal Agnew #39 of the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on October 7, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

 

Receiver Davante Adams said Thursday he wasn't sure if he'll be able to play on Monday after suffering a turf toe injury during the Packers' Week 4 loss to the Eagles.

"It is a major injury so it's something that we gotta pay attention to and make sure we monitor in the correct way to make sure that it's not something that gets re-aggravated later on in the season or I come back a little too early and really mess the thing up," Adams said. "So we are really just trying to pace it at this point. I can't really tell you when I'm going to play. I don't know. it doesn't feel how I want it to feel at the moment."

Adams was having his best game of the season before going down in the fourth quarter against Philadelphia. The two-time Pro Bowler had 180 yards on 10 catches but was not on the field when Green Bay suffered its only loss of the season.

DIGGING IT

Diggs is not afraid to express his affection for Rodgers as a player and person.

 

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 26: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers drops back to pass in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lambeau Field on September 26, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

 

"I've always been an A-Rod fan since I was in high school and college and he's a cool guy," said Diggs, who met Rodgers when he entered the draft four years ago because they're represented by the same agency.

AN ENCORE FOR JONES?

Running back Aaron Jones had four touchdowns in the Packers' win at Dallas last week.  Jones, who played high school and college ball in El Paso, Texas, became the first player ever to run for four touchdowns against the Cowboys. Jones finished with 182 scrimmage yards (107 rushing and 75 receiving).

 

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 06: Aaron Jones #33 of the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium on October 06, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

 

"He's a great kid and does it all the right way," Rodgers said of Jones. "So you can't help but to be excited for a guy like that. It couldn't happen — a game like that — to a better guy, a better teammate."

WELCOME BACK

Lions receiver Danny Amendola is expected to play after missing the team's previous game, a four-point loss to Kansas City in Week 4.

 

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Danny Amendola #80 of the Detroit Lions makes a catch in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on September 22, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.The Detroit Lions defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 27-24. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

 

"He brings that fire, energy and juice," receiver Marvin Jones said. "Happy to have him out there."

RETURN OF THE MIKE

Lions defensive tackle Mike Daniels may face his former team for the first time. Daniels was inactive in Detroit's previous game against the Chiefs with a foot injury. The Packers released the former Pro Bowler in July, and Daniels signed a one-year deal with the Lions two days later. Daniels spent his first seven seasons in Green Bay.

 

© 2019 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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