GREEN BAY – Playing back-to-back Thursdays is an NFL gauntlet like no other.
It starts by playing two games in five days – first Sunday, then Thursday – followed by another game the following Thursday. Three games in 12 days, beginning in late November in this case, no less.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur has noted that navigating the physical demands of this stretch has required tapping into the medical and strength/conditioning staffs for their thoughts on the right approach to take with the players' bodies. It's a balancing act between rest and preparation.
But, as the saying goes, it's the same for both teams, the Packers and Lions, and while Detroit (11-1) is on a 10-game winning streak, Green Bay (9-3) has won seven of its last eight – the lone loss in that time coming to the Lions a month ago.
"We're high spirits," defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness said. "I think we're feeling good with the past two games we came off with the two wins. I think the mindset, the recovery, just how the whole organization has handled this has been really impressive and they're taking care of us this week.
"We'll be ready to go for Thursday."
The other two times the Packers played on back-to-back Thursdays – Thanksgiving followed by the next Thursday night – in the modern era produced games of both memorable and historical significance.
Back in 2007, the Packers improved to 10-1 with a 37-26 victory on Thanksgiving in Detroit and then headed to Dallas, also 10-1, the following Thursday night for a matchup of the top teams in the NFC. The game ended up deciding the No. 1 seed for the playoffs.
The Packers lost, and ultimately got the No. 2 seed, but the 37-27 defeat to the Cowboys became known as QB Aaron Rodgers' arrival, as he stepped in after Brett Favre injured his throwing arm on his second interception of the game.
Trailing 27-10 in the second quarter, Rodgers brought the Packers back, getting to within 27-24 going into the fourth quarter before the Cowboys put the game away. Rodgers' performance off the bench (18-of-26, 201 yards, TD, 104.8 passer rating) became the precursor to his four-MVP, Hall of Fame career in Green Bay.
Then in 2015, the Packers lost at home to the Bears on a rainy Thanksgiving night as Favre's No. 4 was officially retired and added to the Lambeau Field façade. The defeat was Green Bay's fourth in its last five games after a 6-0 start, and questions abounded as to where the season was headed.
The following Thursday night in Detroit, the Lions led 20-0 midway through the third quarter and the Packers looked doomed. But two touchdowns in just a few minutes' time, sandwiched around a strip sack, got Green Bay back in it.
After a long drive for a field goal by the Lions, the Packers responded with another touchdown to get within 23-21, and eventually got the ball back with just 23 seconds left. What was thought to be the final play of the game wasn't when Rodgers' facemask was grabbed.
That permitted an untimed down from the Green Bay 39-yard line, and Rodgers threw a 61-yard Hail Mary touchdown to tight end Richard Rodgers, setting off a wild celebration and becoming the first of three successful Hail Marys by Rodgers in a span of 13 months.
But back to the here and now, this Packers team has a lot going for it heading into Thursday night.
It's healthier and playing better compared to the first matchup with the Lions, and it's won four straight games away from Lambeau Field. The first three of those four in Nashville, Los Angeles and Jacksonville featured pro-Packers crowds, and then the rowdiness of Soldier Field was handled fine as Green Bay rallied in the fourth quarter.
"It's not like our first hostile environment," LaFleur said. "Chicago was pretty loud, but I get it. This is going to be louder. It's going to be a dome stadium and their fan base is going crazy right now getting behind the Lions.
"So it's going to be a fun environment. I love it where it's just the guys in the locker room going out and competing for one another."
These Packers also waltzed into Ford Field a year ago undaunted by the first-place Lions and played one of their best games of the season. That should provide some good vibes coming out of the tunnel Thursday night.
"Yeah, you can lean on that, but I think no matter who it is, if we had a whole new team, guys would be confident," quarterback Jordan Love said. "We're confident every game we go into and obviously I think we have enough motivation having lost the first game to these guys, so we owe them and we'll be able to put up a good fight in Detroit."
The stakes are obvious. The Packers must win to have any hope of taking the NFC North crown. Lose to fall three games behind the Lions with four to play turns the playoff picture to wild card or bust.
Other than a true elimination game, it's the most that could be on the line for the Packers at this stage, and they aren't shying away from that.
"We're always chasing the best," receiver Jayden Reed said. "We're chasing greatness. We want to win the division so we're going out there to play a hard-fought battle. That's what it's going to be, regardless."
