Packers coach thinks Lions ‘arguably the best team in the NFL’

Matt LaFleur knows the Lions as well as any head coach in the NFL: He has faced the team 10 times as head coach of the Packers (he also grew up in Mt. Pleasant and played at Saginaw Valley State).

So he knows what he’s saying when he shares his assessment of the team. And what does he think of this year’s version of the Lions?

“Arguably the best team in the NFL,” LaFleur said at a news conference in Green Bay on Monday.

LaFleur spoke before the first meeting of 2024 between the Packers and Lions, which will take place Sunday in Green Bay.

The Packers pace the Lions on a five-game win streak, the team’s longest since 2016. Detroit’s 172 points in the last four games are the most of any NFL team in a four-game stretch since 2019.

Jared Goff is an MVP candidate at quarterback, second in the NFL in passer rating, surrounded by a strong running game and a defense that has remained strong during the loss of Aidan Hutchinson.

“They’re really good,” LaFleur said. “And we knew that. We knew that going into the year. It’s not shocking to me. It’s a team we’re obviously very familiar with, and we’ll have to play at our best. It all starts with preparation. We are going to have a great week of practice.”

However, the Packers themselves have won four straight games, most recently a 30-27 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in which backup quarterback Malik Willis played the second half in place of injured starter Jordan Love.

Love’s status will remain a question all week, but LaFleur said the team won’t hold him back for fear of further injuries.

“If he can go, he will go,” LaFleur said. “We’ll see where he is towards the end of the week, but if we feel he can’t protect himself then we certainly wouldn’t put him in that position.”

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