I wrote at some length this week about the Packers' recurring regular-season finales against the Lions. There have been a surprising number of consequential games between these two teams over the past decade or so, including quasi-division championships in 2014 and a game with noteworthy seeding implications in 2019.
The stakes are equally high this week, and as we wrote a week ago, I think that's exactly how we want it. In a perfect world, the regular season would only amount to figuring out exactly how badly the Packers would beat their opponents before a largely perfunctory postseason tournament that ended with another Super Bowl win. But in our imperfect world, this is about as good as it gets.
The Packers need to win. It doesn't have to be pretty, they just need more points than the Lions when it's all over. We don't need to worry about who's getting reps or whether the Packers are performing at their best. For one day, and one day only, all that matters is being better than the Detroit Lions.
Just win, baby. It was a great statement of purpose for Al Davis' Raiders. So it is for the Packers this week, too.
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