In this episode of The Official Detroit Lions Podcast, Lions team reporter Brooke Kirchhofer and lead writer Tim Twentyman discuss keys to the game for Sunday vs. Green Bay, sit down with run game coordinator/defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers and talk with FOX Sports analyst Dean Blandino about the officiating process and his role as a rules analyst.
Coming off the bye, the Lions face their first division opponent of the 2026 season: Green Bay. Brooke and Tim discuss the threat of the Packers' pass attack, highlighting quarterback Jordan Love's league-leading attempts of 20-plus yard passes and the success wide receivers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden have had so far this year. Tim also points out how going up against Watson and Golden prepares Green Bay's secondary similar to how Detroit wideout Jameson Williams challenges the Lions' secondary in practice. With running back Josh Jacobs potentially returning to the field on Sunday, even in a limited number of snaps, Tim talks about how that could boost the Packers' run game and provide another offensive threat.
Brooke and Tim then shift their focus to Detroit and discuss the success of their impressive offensive line with Penei Sewell moving to left tackle, Blake Miller making the most of his rookie season, Juice Scruggs' ability to step up at center in Cade Mays' absence early this year, Tate Ratledge’s jump from Year 1 to Year 2 and Christian Mahogany's progress. Tim highlights running back Jahmyr Gibbs’ NFL-leading scrimmage touchdowns even after a bye and other impressive stats and records he's put together this season so far.
They then sit down with Kacy, first discussing defensive lineman Alim McNeill’s success so far this season and his progress from his torn ACL in 2024. Kacy breaks down what the Lions were looking for to complement edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson and what they see in DJ Wonnum so far this season. Brooke asks Kacy about what Detroit saw in lineman Skyler Gill-Howard when they drafted him and what he's brought to the team in his rookie year. Kacy, Brooke and Tim also discuss Tyleik Williams' move to nose tackle and how he's built on his success from training camp into the regular season. Kacy's interview wraps up with what he sees out of the Packers' offense and the potential of Detroit's defensive line.
Brooke and Tim bring Dean onto the podcast and first talk about what his experience is like as a rules analyst for the NFL. Tim asks Dean about the number of penalties across the NFL and how that compares. Dean explains how the first part of the season can be viewed as an 'extended preseason' for the starters, which can bring up more penalties. Brooke then gets Dean's opinion on taunting calls and the line between a penalty vs. player celebrations. He also walks Brooke and Tim through what postgame looks like for officiating crews.
Brooke and Tim wrap up this episode with their final thoughts on the upcoming matchup with Green Bay.
Highlights from this episode of The Official Detroit Lions Podcast:
- 0:44 – NFC North opponents at home
- 1:37 – Green Bay's pass game
- 4:37 – Return of Brian Branch
- 7:35 – Detroit's offensive line
- 14:55 – Gibbs' workload and success
- 19:52 – McNeill's transformation
- 21:50 – Wonnum complementing Hutchinson
- 22:32 – Detroit's sack count and distribution
- 24:35 – Hutchinson's game
- 25:15 – Gill-Howard's versatility
- 28:10 – William's fit at nose tackle
- 30:46 – Challenges Green Bay presents
- 31:23 – Potential of Lions' defensive line
- 32:24 – Blandino's experience as a rules analyst
- 34:44 – Penalties in the NFL
- 36:24 – Taunting calls
- 39:18 – Trends and reduction of repeat offenders
- 41:40 – What Blandino hopes to see change with officiating
- 42:17 – Grading officiating crews
- 45:20 – Final thoughts on Green Bay
