Right now, the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions are the two best teams in the NFC North — and certainly are among the best in the entire conference. On Sunday, they play at Lambeau Field for first place in the division, and it seems like there will be a special rivalry touch.

On Thursday, Packers safety Xavier McKinney talked about the Lions in the locker room, and he didn’t sound pleased with the way the division rival act and approach the opponents in regards to trick plays.

“In my opinion, I think they try to embarrass people,” McKinney said. “I think this organization, and the players we have in here, they don’t really take that lightly. And we know that’s what they’re going to come here and try to do.”

The Lions have tried trick plays basically every week — sometimes, multiple ones, even when the game is mostly decided, like they were against the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans over the last few weeks. But offensive coordinator Ben Johnson feels comfortable about that, because he has more in the bag.

"Each and every week we stock up, and that’s been constant,” Johnson said. “It just so happened last week that we wanted to unload them.”

After the Dallas Cowboys game, head coach Dan Campbell explained his approach to the matter.

"We’re using everything in our arsenal," the coach said. "We had told the players that, that’s the way we worked all week, and we were using it. We were playing football and we were pedal to the metal."

And it doesn't seem like Xavier McKinney is the only one who doesn't like the Lions' approach. Two weeks ago, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a noted Cowboys fan, said that Dan Campbell "has got no class, never has."

After all, though, both teams want the huge win and that’s ultimately what matters. According to PFF, the Packers have a big swing in terms of playoff chances depending on how the game unfolds on Sunday. Green Bay will have a 62% of reaching the playoffs with a loss, but if they win the chances go to 85%.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9SHWxIzpms

The Lions offense will be a big challenge for the Packers. The opposing unit is fourth in DVOA, fourth in EPA/play, sixth in success rate, and first in rush EPA.

But Xavier McKinney has also been highly effective in his first season for the Packers. The safety was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month in October. This season, the former New York Giant has had six interceptions, a fumble recovery, a sack, 36 tackles, two tackles for loss, and seven passes defended. He has allowed a 50.3 passer rating when targeted.

Last season, the Packers and the Lions split their series. Curiously, the Lions won at Lambeau Field, and the Packers won on Thanksgiving in Detroit.

At this moment, the Lions lead the NFC North with six wins and a loss — the team has already had its bye week. The Packers are in second place, with six wins and two losses. The winner of the game on Sunday will be the leader of the division after the week. Both teams are in huge win streaks — five for the Lions and four for the Packers.

Based on team DVOA, the Lions are the favorites — they are the first team by the metric, while the Packers are eighth.

Huge addition receives award that makes the Packers look really smart

Xavier McKinney has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month