The NFL game of the week may take place before we even get to Sunday, as Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions play host to Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers on “Thursday Night Football.” The Packers have won three straight games after falling to the Lions in Green Bay back in Week 9, and have a chance to shake things up in the NFC North with a win.
Not only do the Packers have some momentum heading into this massive Week 14 showdown, but they also have some of the Lions’ audibles and protection calls! Last week, running back Jahmyr Gibbs accidentally leaked some code words the Lions use on offense. Does Packers coach Matt LaFleur think this will give his team an advantage? No.
“I’m sure our guys aren’t going to sit there and study every code word they have in their offense,” LaFleur said, per NFL.com. “I mean, you can get this stuff from the TV copies. I mean, there are certain things you can pick up off the TV copies. That’s why most teams, I would say probably every team in the league, listen to what they’re putting out there as well as what the opponent is putting out there and you try to piece it together. Personally, I think it’s probably a little bit overrated.”
Similarly, Lions coach Dan Campbell has said he doesn’t think Gibbs’ mistake will make a difference on Thursday night.
“I don’t really give a crap,” Campbell said, via the Detroit Free Press. “If we’re going to lose because of code words then we’re not good enough anyway. So I think we’ll just post the whole fricking playbook out there and every code word we’ve got. And it doesn’t matter. It’s not going to hurt us, it won’t affect us and it’s all good.”
The Lions have won eight of their last nine prime-time games, and are a perfect 4-0 in home prime-time games under coach Campbell. Still, they may switch up some audibles for Thursday night.
