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Detroit Lions slapped by reality in 27-13 egg vs Green Bay Packers in Week 1
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- Detroit Lions slapped by reality in 27-13 egg vs Green Bay Packers in Week 1
GREEN BAY, WI — Dan Campbell warned this could happen, that the Detroit Lions could start slow in their 2025 NFL season opener Sunday against the Green Bay Packers and maybe this season in general.
And while it's rarely wise to make big-picture conclusions after one game, the Lions ' 27-13 blowout loss to the Packers in Week 1 was itself a collection of most everyone's worst fears come true.
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The offensive line was a shadow of its former best-in-the-NFL self. The defense failed to generate any meaningful pass rush, with or without the blitz. And the offense sputtered through four quarters with former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson in Chicago and new coordinator John Morton calling plays.
The Lions host the Bears in Week 2 at Ford Field in Detroit. The Bears host the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football to conclude the Week 1 schedule.
Here are three observations about the Lions' season-opening loss to the Packers.
John Morton's mediocre debut as Lions play-caller
Rookie Isaac TeSlaa made a leaping touchdown catch with 55 seconds left to save the Lions from going TD-less for the first time since a 24-6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7 of the 2022 season.
And while I wouldn't put all the blame for the dismal offensive performance on Morton, the Lions didn't show any of the creativity or explosiveness they were known for under Johnson in Morton's play-calling debut.
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Jared Goff completed 13 of his first 14 passes but had just 75 yards on those throws. The Packers got the better of the Lions' young interior line; even All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell didn't have a great game. And Morton's conservative play-calling in the red zone left lots to be desired.
The Lions — and Lions fans — were spoiled the past three years by Johnson, one of the best, most aggressive, play-callers in the NFL. They still have an incredible collection of skill talent, but Johnson was elite at what he did and there was bound to be an adjustment period when he left to become head coach of the Chicago Bears .
The Packers present some unique challenges with how they play defense, but there's no excuse for this team to go from the highest-scoring offense in the NFL to one that couldn't sniff the end zone Sunday. They need to fix their offense in a hurry with tough games against Johnson's Bears next week, and my pick to win the Super Bowl, the Baltimore Ravens , in Week 3.
TRENDING: Packers dominate Lions on both sides of ball in Week 1: Coordinators called out
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The Micah Parsons effect
Micah Parsons didn't play a ton of snaps Sunday and didn't have a huge impact when he was on the field. But you could see in his Green Bay debut why the Packers spent so much to get him .
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) looks to pass against Green Bay Packers defensive end Lukas Van Ness (90) during the first half at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., on Sunday, September 7, 2025.
The Packers played their two-safety cover shell and rushed four most of the day, as is their tendency. When one of those rushers is an elite edge player, well, it makes life tougher on everybody on the other side of the ball.
Goff finished 31 of 39 passing for 225 yards with one touchdown and one interception, was forced to check down throw after throw and the Lions offense choked up once it got in the red zone.
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The Lions settled for a field goal after Goff threw his first incompletion on a third-and-5 from the 12 and his pick came on the Lions' next offensive series on a third-and-7 from the 16.
Parsons beat Sewell pretty cleanly for a pressure on the pick, though Packers safety Evan Williams read the play — a quick curl to Amon-Ra St. Brown — from the snap.
Parsons had a late sack when the game was out of reach, and beat Sewell for another pressure early in the first half. That matchup should be even better to watch when the two teams meet again on Thanksgiving , not to mention over the next few years.
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Where's Aidan Hutchinson ?
Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) tries to tackle Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) during the first half at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., on Sunday, September 7, 2025.
While Parsons eventually sacked Goff, Hutchinson had a quiet day in his return from a broken leg.
Hutchinson finished with one quarterback hit and no tackles and, without the benefit of going back to watch the film, seemed like a nonfactor for a Lions defense that treated Packers quarterback Jordan Love like he was wearing a red no-contact jersey.
Hutchinson had a great training camp and coaches and others in the building have said he looks like the same pass rusher who was toying with offensive tackles before his injury last fall.
I wouldn't jump to any conclusions about Hutchinson's performance. He dealt with constant chip help and the Lions played from behind all day. But the pass rush as a whole is still the defense's Achilles heel.
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The Lions were terrible on third downs early, allowing the Packers to convert on third-and-10, third-and-6 and third-and-9 on their opening drive. They tried everything to get home, rushing four, rushing six, even dropping Hutchinson into coverage.
Nothing seemed to work, and it's a reminder this team has deficiencies it needs to fix as the season goes on.
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Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky , X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions slapped by reality in 27-13 loss vs Packers in Week 1
