In the NFL, when a team plays an opponent can hold a hell of a lot of weight.
Take last year with the Detroit Lions, for instance.
The Lions were hammered with injuries, many of them season-ending variety, and it all piled up in their playoff loss to the Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round.
Green Bay went 0-2 against Detroit last year, and they’ll get a crack at the Lions right out of the chute in Week 1. Facing them immediately is better for the Packers.
While Detroit will bring back many of the same culprits on the roster that went 15-2 last year and landed the top seed, the coaching staff experienced major turnover.
Ben Johnson, the architect of Detroit’s high-powered offense, left in the offseason to take the head coaching gig in Chicago.
Aaron Glenn, who spearheaded a ferocious defense and did so with the mindset of a general, left his spot as defensive coordinator to take the head coaching job with the New York Jets.
John Morton will take over the offense, while Kelvin Sheppard will handle duties as defensive coordinator. As much as they may play it down, both sides will experience an adjustment period before the real game action begins.
Morton has repeatedly said this offseason that he plans on maintaining consistency from Johnson’s offensive scheme. Morton has also stated that he will add ideas he picked up in his past stops that may be more subtle.
At face value, you can look around this Detroit offense and see an incredible offensive line, a two-headed monster at running back, two electric wide receivers — one of which is an All-Pro — a steady veteran quarterback, and an emerging young tight end.
Who could mess that up?
Point taken. Detroit’s offense should still be really good because of the pieces already in place. There will be tinkering, though, and a learning curve with a new coordinator in place.
Under Johnson’s leadership, it was smooth sailing to the point that the Lions were trying and succeeding in fake stumble-and-fumble plays that resulted in touchdowns. It’d be bold if Morton empties the clip to the degree Johnson would, at least right away.
Morton hasn’t had play-calling duties since he was with the Jets in 2017. It makes sense that Morton wants to maintain as much continuity as possible from Detroit’s standout 2024 performance. Still, he’ll have to learn how to pull all those levers successfully on the job.
That plays into Green Bay’s hands because the Packers will be first up for the Lions in Week 1. The Packers are also bringing back almost every main contributor on both sides of the ball from 2024. However, unlike Detroit, Green Bay saw no major staffing changes outside of the retirement of quarterbacks coach Tom Clements.
On the other side of the ball, the Lions will usher in Sheppard as the defensive coordinator. Sheppard had been the linebackers coach in Detroit the past four years and, like Morton on offense, isn’t looking to reinvent the wheel. The Lions like to play an in-your-face style with a lot of man coverage while getting constant pressure on the opposing quarterback. That much should stay the same.
Just like the offense, though, terminology and some philosophical aspects will naturally change with a new coordinator in place.
Per the Detroit Free Press, Sheppard noted what the most significant difference might be for him.
On the grass, everybody is looking to you. (It’s) not just the linebackers anymore. It’s the corner, the safety, the nose tackle … and you’ve got to be ready to give those players an answer.
Sheppard believes that being elevated to a vocal leader on the staff in 2024 will help him transition into the greater responsibilities of defensive coordinator.
I’m very appreciative of the way Dan (Campbell), Brad (Holmes), and A.G. (Glenn) have structured this thing to kind of put you in leadership roles. They don’t have to do those things. I have friends in other buildings, and I know they’re not afforded those opportunities, so I don’t take them lightly … It’s an unbelievable opportunity to grow as a person.
Getting Detroit early before Morton and Sheppard settle in at the controls is an advantageous spot for Green Bay. The Packers will welcome any advantage after going 0-2 against the Lions in 2024. The contest being at Lambeau Field is another bonus.
Much of the roster that helped Detroit steamroll through the 2024 campaign is back. That alone puts them in elite company when discussing the NFC’s best teams. Losing not one but both coordinators in the same offseason is a challenge in itself, and it’d be slightly unrealistic to expect the Lions to play with no hiccups early on. That’s where the Packers can pounce as the Week 1 opponent and why getting Detroit in Week 1 isn’t the worst thing in the world for Green Bay.