A preferred quote holds that “A lion runs the quickest when he’s hungry.”
How about when he’s gassed, too?
The “Thursday Evening Soccer” period and the Detroit Lions’ first run of relevancy in a long time undoubtedly add a wrinkle to Salman Khan’s clever phrases.
Tonight’s essential conflict between the Lions (11-1) and visiting Inexperienced Bay Packers (9-3) marks Detroit’s fourth sport in 18 days. Ditto for Inexperienced Bay. Whereas nobody is complaining of the crunch forward of the pivotal NFC North sport, nobody is denying it, both.
“I feel simply caring for your physique is the largest factor,” Lions extensive receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown mentioned. “We’ve loads of walkthrough reps so mentally, bought to remain locked in as a result of generally you possibly can’t get all of the bodily reps, simply due to the best way the schedule has been just lately for us.”
Certainly “you possibly can’t get all of the bodily reps” once you’re on injured reserve, a standing befitting 18 Lions gamers. This week, Detroit additionally dominated out left sort out Taylor Decker (knee) and defensive sort out DJ Reader (shoulder).
The Packers can be with out a number of mainstays as effectively, particularly cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee) and receiver Romeo Doubs (concussion).
With each groups primed to play into January and ideally February—Tremendous Bowl LIX is about for the ninth of that month—the showdown loses little luster regardless of the absence of a number of marquee names.
“We’ll have an opportunity to catch our breath after this one,” Lions coach Dan Campbell mentioned. “It goes with out saying, it places a pressure on. It does. It places a pressure on you. However but, Inexperienced Bay’s going by the identical factor, so it doesn’t matter. It’s about, actually, who handles it higher.”
Simply as late-season fatigue is a given, so are the stakes for this sport. Sure, Virginia, Detroit enters on a 10-game successful streak and shares the very best document in soccer with the two-time defending Tremendous Bowl champion Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.
However different groups are surging concurrently. The Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings each stand at 10-2 and hope to pounce on a possible Lions slip-up.
The Eagles and Lions almost had an opportunity to achieve floor of their Week 13 Sunday video games. Alas, the Lions withstood a late cost from the visiting Chicago Bears—and their since-dismissed coach’s colossal clock mismanagement—to prevail 23-20 in a Thanksgiving matinee.
Detroit operating backs coach Scottie Montgomery mentioned “the toughest half” of this latest stretch was pivoting from taking part in on Sunday in Week 12 to organize for a Thursday afternoon sport.
If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the membership’s subsequent sport after that—alias tonight—fell on a Thursday, too.
“Now we’re type of again within the regular schedule,” Montgomery mentioned, “seeing our guys follow.”
Inexperienced Bay can attest after rolling previous the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving evening. The Packers additionally know a number of issues about streaking, successful seven of eight for the reason that calendar flipped to October.
The one blemish? Lions 24, Packers 14 in Week 9.
“Man, that is the kind of stuff that you just stay for and it’s additionally the kind of stuff that will get you prepared for the event,” Campbell mentioned.
The staff that secures the NFC’s prime seed definitely can have flexed its resilience and endurance.