The majority of NFL experts do not believe the Green Bay Packers will exit Ford Field on Sunday with a victory over the hosting Detroit Lions.
Of the 54 experts reviewed in this space every week, only 21 -- or just under 40 percent -- believe the Packers will beat the Lions straight up in Sunday's important NFC North clash. Why? The Lions can put up points, are coming off the bye week and will be playing at home. Meanwhile, the Packers will be down several important defenders, including both starting linebackers (Zaire Franklin won't play Sunday), and must find a way to contain Pro Bowl running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who is enjoying a historic start to the 2026 season. Add it all up, and the odds look a bit stacked against the Packers. Winning at Ford
Field is never easy in this era of the Packers-Lions rivalry, even if Matt LaFleur's team has won there two of the last three years and are coming off a sweep of the Lions in 2025.
A review of the Week 7 expert picks of Packers vs. Lions:
USA Today
Of the six experts at USA Today, two picked the Packers to win.
- Jarrett Bell: Lions, 34-30
- Nick Brinkerhoff: Packers, 34-30
- Chris Bumbaca: Lions, 34-28
- Nate Davis: Lions, 28-27
- Adam Kaufman: Lions, 31-27
- Nick Middlehurst-Schwartz: Packers, 30-24
ESPN
Of the 11 experts at ESPN, five picked the Packers to win.
- Matt Bowen: Packers
- Mike Clay: Lions
- Jeremy Fowler: Lions
- Dan Graziano: Packers
- Kayln Kahler: Packers
- Pamela Maldonado: Lions
- Eric Moody: Lions
- Jason Reid: Packers
- Ben Solak: Lions
- Lindsey Thiry: Packers
- Seth Wickersham: Lions
NFL.com
Of the five experts at NFL.com, zero picked the Packers.
- Jeremy Bergman: Lions, 31-27
- Brooke Cersosimo: Lions, 30-26
- Gennaro Filice: Lions, 31-26
- Bobby Kownack: Lions, 31-30
- Dan Parr: Lions, 30-28
From Gennaro: "Green Bay’s offense is ascendent, with Jordan Love dropping bombs to Matthew Golden and Christian Watson over the past couple weeks. Will RB Josh Jacobs’ impending return disrupt the quarterback’s flow state or give him the warm comfort of a complementary run game? It’s an interesting subplot to follow in the coming weeks, but when it comes to this particular NFC North bout, I’m actually more interested in the matchup when Detroit has the football. With Jahmyr Gibbs posting video game numbers and the eternally underappreciated Jared Goff boasting a 12:0 TD-to-INT ratio, the offense is humming under Drew Petzing. But now the Lions’ new coordinator must face his old boss. Petzing served as Arizona’s OC throughout Jonathan Gannon’s three-year tenure as Cardinals head coach. After Gannon was fired by the Cards in January, the Packers scooped him up to replace Jeff Hafley as their defensive coordinator, and the move has paid off handsomely. Outside of the Week 3 beatdown from Atlanta, Green Bay has exceeded all expectations on defense, ranking 10th in points and yards allowed despite Micah Parsons remaining sidelined by last December’s knee injury. However, this is easily the unit’s stiffest test yet. And while each coordinator in this showdown could benefit from maximum familiarity with his play-calling counterpart, Petzing has a clear edge in personnel -- an advantage that only becomes more pronounced with Cade Mays poised to finally make his Lions debut at center. I think Petzing gets the best of Gannon, and the Lions start division play with a win after going just 2-4 against NFC North rivals last season."
MMQB
Of the eight experts at MMQB, six picked the Packers.
- Albert Breer: Packers
- Eva Geitheim: Packers
- Mitch Goldich: Packers
- Mike Kadlick: Packers
- Gilberto Manzano: Packers
- Conor Orr: Lions
- John Pluym: Packers
- Matt Verderame: Lions
The Athletic
Of the eight experts at The Athletic, two picked the Packers.
- Zach Berman: Lions
- Chad Graff: Lions
- Jon Greenberg: Packers
- Larry Holder: Lions
- Josh Kendall: Lions
- Steven Louis Goldstein: Lions
- Nick Kosmider: Packers
- Austin Mock: Lions
CBS Sports
Of the seven experts at CBS Sports, one picked the Packers.
- Pete Prisco: Lions
- Jared Dubin: Lions
- Ryan Wilson: Lions
- John Breech: Packers
- Tyler Sullivan: Lions
- Dave Richard: Lions
- Jamey Eisenberg: Lions
From Prisco: "The Lions are coming off a bye, which they needed, while the Packers are coming off consecutive victories. They are playing much better on both sides of the ball. The two defenses will be challenged here, but the Lions will be the better offense at home coming off the bye. Lions win it by a tiny margin as both quarterbacks light it up. Lions 34, Packers 33."
SB Nation
Of the nine experts at SB Nation, five picked the Packers.
- Mookie Alexander: Packers
- James Dator: Packers
- David Fucillo: Lions
- Brandon Gowton: Lions
- Jared Mueller: Packers
- R.J. Ochoa: Packers
- Ricky O’Donnell: Lions
- Mark Schofield: Packers
- Matthew Warren: Lions
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: NFL Week 7 expert picks for Packers vs. Lions: Who wins NFC North showdown?
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