The Green Bay Packers believe they've come a long way since they last faced the Detroit Lions nearly a month ago. They get a chance to prove it Thursday when they visit Detroit to close a stretch of three games in 12 days.

Although the Packers (9-3) have put themselves in good shape to earn a playoff berth by winning three straight and seven of their last eight, they remain two games behind the Lions (11-1) and a half-game behind Minnesota (9-2) in the NFC North. They also already lost at home to both teams.

In a game that could go a long way toward determining the NFC North champion, Jordan Love is optimistic about where the Green Bay Packers stand heading

Since Week 4, the Packers' only loss has come at the hands of the Lions. They'll go at it again Thursday night.

The Lions and Packers both secured wins on Thanksgiving and improved to 11-1 and 8-3, respectively. That puts pressure on Minnesota to take care of a good Cardinals team on Sunday, get to 10-2, and maintain its spot in between those two rivals heading into the final five weeks of the season.

The Lions continue their winning ways while the Bears handed them a win with the clock ticking down in regulation. Here's how the game ended.

Jared Goff threw two touchdown passes to Sam LaPorta to lead Detroit, but Chicago blows opportunity with poor clock management.