Packers hope to get revenge on Lions in playoffs

The Detroit Lions beat the Green Bay Packers 34-31 on a last-second 35-yard field goal Thursday night, completing a season sweep of their NFC North rivals. Despite the Packers being 2-6 against the Lions during Dan Campbell's tenure on Detroit's sideline, Green Bay wants a third shot at beating them this season.

Following the game, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters that his message to the Packers in the locker room was simple: Earn your right to play in Detroit again.

"I told our team, I mean, we're going to have to earn the right to potentially come back here, and it's not going to be easy," he said. "And we've got to put in the work, but I'm confident in the resiliency of our group and that they're going to continue to fight and push each other to get better and stay connected, because I do think we have a pretty good football team."

Matt LaFleur said he told his players that they’re “going to have to earn the right to potentially come back here.” He added: “I do think we have a good football team.” pic.twitter.com/AJUFNwwOL7
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) December 6, 2024

Green Bay is now 9-4, sixth in the NFC standings and could be two games out of the fifth seed if the Minnesota Vikings beat the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. If the Packers remain sixth in the NFC and the Lions remain atop the standings, the rematch could come as soon as the divisional round of the playoffs, provided the seventh seed doesn't beat the two seed.

It's been said that it's difficult to beat a team three times in the same season, but the last two times a matchup has been played three times in a season, the sweeping team won in the playoffs. In the 2022-23 playoffs, the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New York Giants for the third time that season in the divisional round, and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks for the third time that season in the wild card round.

The Packers hope that trend doesn't continue if there's a third matchup of these NFC North rivals come January.

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