Lions were practically unstoppable last year with Hutchinson but they’re vulnerable this year with Hutchinson. Why is that?

They’ve had a lot of injuries in the secondary, and their offense hasn’t done as good a job at – wait for it – building leads. That said, the Packers are going to get a very different Hutchinson compared to Week 1, his first game back from the long rehab. He will be a bigger factor in this game and the Packers must limit that impact.

How have the Packers and Lions changed compared to Week 1? Will a similar game plan get it done, or do they need to make any changes due to differences in personnel?

Week 1 feels like last season at this point. The Lions were on short notice to prepare for Parsons and weren’t really ready for him. They will be now. But Parsons also will have a larger workload. Gibbs is more a focal point of the offense rather than a straight job share with Montgomery, but they don’t have LaPorta, and now Campbell is calling the plays. I mentioned Hutch above. They got Alim McNeill back on the interior of their D-line. The O-lines of both teams have undergone changes. The Packers have Christian Watson now, but not Tucker Kraft and maybe not Jayden Reed. We’ll see about Keisean Nixon. I’m sure there are other changes I’m missing.

At the start of the season everyone and their brother/mother/sister and father were calling for Romeo Doubs to be traded for draft capital or the next great player. Thank goodness the Packers have GM and coach who play the long game and recognize a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Doubs leads the team in receiving and always seems to be there when we need them. At the speed WRs often get hit we can’t have enough of them! Happy Thanksgiving.

There’s a reason I didn’t give all that receiver trade talk in the summer any air time. The deepest position on any roster is only two snaps away from becoming awfully thin.

Mike from Springfield, OH

Which of our position groups do you think has grown the most throughout the season? My money would be on the cornerbacks – Carrington Valentine‘s emergence as a starter has been fun to watch!

What we’ve seen from Valentine and now Kamal Hadden is admirable, but as far as a position group as a whole, I’ll go with linebacker. The quartet of Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie and Ty’Ron Hopper has been really impressive across the board and seems to keep getting better.

Did Isaiah McDuffie just shift the defense to a lot more three-linebacker sets?

Not if the opposing offense comes out in more three-receiver sets.

Good morning. I have to admit, when Nixon went down, I thought the Packers were toast. Sure, the pass rush and McCarthy’s inability affected quite a bit, but it was still admirable that CV could stay with Jefferson and Hadden and the rest were able to pick up the slack.

What I love most about Valentine is he backs down from no challenge. That’s his best attribute. Wes just posted a nice piece on Hadden, and I remember back in training camp watching him in the joint practice with the Seahawks. JSN was carving up the Packers that day, but Hadden was holding his own with his assignments and playing very confidently. That was the day I figured he’d make the team.

I was surprised to hear nothing about Lukas Van Ness. On TV they showed him getting up very gingerly and limping. Then a quick shot of him grimacing on the sideline. I never saw him on the field again. Did he reinjure his foot? Any news about him? Inquiring minds want to know.

On Tuesday, LaFleur said Van Ness wasn’t where they thought he was with his recovery, tried to play and couldn’t. That’s all we know.

Dennis from Seal Beach, CA

Concerning conservative offensive play-calling, beyond saving wear and tear on your banged-up quarterback might it also make sense not to put too much pass scheme on tape days before meeting a divisional rival? I know we hold back in preseason. Does that come into play once the season begins?

I’ve seen this suggested, but I don’t think so, especially when the opponent has 10 other games of film to watch. Those who are still critical of LaFleur’s approach need to rewatch the game, be reminded Jordan Love was handing the ball off with only his right hand, and then count how many times the Vikings blitzed on Love’s 21 pass attempts. The risk was real, and not worth it given the game situation, which was the Vikings needing to go for broke on defense to make something happen to give their suffocated offense any chance.

Robert from Richfield, MN

Just a comment on the Giants not kicking the field goal: By trying and failing to get the TD, Detroit gets the ball at the 3, and not the 30 or whatever the kickoff would have been. I thought it made sense to have them pinned and try to make the defensive play.

They got the ball at the 6, and they drove 53 yards to kick the long, tying field goal. If you take the six-point lead and they start, say, on the 30 after the kickoff, they have to go 70 yards to score. I said Monday it was a tough call and still think so.