GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Nothing went right for the Detroit Lions in their season-opening loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Lions lost 27-13, putting even more heat on themselves with a daunting schedule ahead.
It was nearly the first time the Lions were kept out of the end zone for a full game since losing 24-6 to the Dallas Cowboys in October 2022. But they found the end zone after the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, when rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa caught a ridiculous one-handed catch in the end zone. TeSlaa’s first career score was initially ruled incomplete, but a closer look gave the score to the third-round pick.
The Lions dominated the time of possession battle for most of the day, but settled for two red-zone field goals and threw an interception near the end of the first half, too. And that’s not a good combination when paired with a defense struggling to create a takeaway or stop the pass with no pressure.
After Detroit scored its first points of the day to make it 10-3 on a drive that went nearly 10 minutes, the Packers needed only two passes and 53 seconds to go back up 17-3 in the first half.
When the Lions needed a takeaway in the worst way, pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson landed the first quarterback hit of the day for Detroit’s defense late in the third quarter. But linebacker Alex Anzalone watched a potential big-time interception fall through his hands. One play later, Lions safety Brian Branch returned an interception for a touchdown, but it was called back due to defensive holding on Rock Ya-Sin.
That sequence right there was the story of the day for the Lions, with a defensive touchdown wiped off the board, and the Packers getting a first down in the process. The Packers were forced to punt at the end of the fourth quarter, with the Lions getting another chance to close the gap.
But the next drive was spent trying to avoid a safety after Packers pass rusher Rashan Gary sacked Lions quarterback Jared Goff. The Lions were forced to run twice and punt the ball away, with the Packers starting with prime field position at Detroit’s 37-yard line.
A hopeful position with a chance to get back into striking distance ended in near disaster. And the Packers smelled blood in the water, going for it on fourth-and-1 from the 10-yard line with 9 minutes left. They converted with a quarterback sneak by Love, ending the drive with a game-sealing touchdown by running back Josh Jacobs.
Green Bay’s offense took nearly 5 minutes off the clock, going up 24-6, leaving only 7:57 on the clock.
Goff was relegated to checkdown city for most of the day outside of a couple of play-action looks for tight end Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Lions quarterback finished 31 of 39 passing for 225 yards with the late touchdown and one interception.
It wasn’t much better for the rushing attack. David Montgomery ran 11 times for 25 yards, and Jahmyr Gibbs was held to 19 yards on nine carries. Gibbs was the main beneficiary of the checkdown-heavy day, catching 10 passes for just 31 yards in the lackluster outing.
St. Brown was limited to four catches for 47 yards. And one day after signing his three-year extension, Jameson Williams caught only four passes for 23 yards, with a couple of those coming on the final drive.
The Lions will host former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears in next week’s home opener at Ford Field. Fresh off an ugly offensive showing, expect a busy week of headlines in Detroit.
**See below for observations from the opener:**
\-- The Lions have not won four straight on the road against the Packers since the 1950-1954 stretch, while winning three straight NFL Championships. They entered with their first three-game road winning streak against the Packers since the 1980s, not to mention with six wins in their last seven meetings inside the NFC North rivalry.
\-- After an offseason filled with questions about the two new coordinators, the Lions were kept out of the end zone and couldn’t hit the big play. The biggest play of the day for the offense -- outside of TeSlaa’s impressive catch -- was a 32-yarder to LaPorta, resulting in a short field goal.
\-- The first half couldn’t have started much worse for the Lions. The offense moved the ball and ate a ton of clock, but came away with only 3 points while holding the ball for nearly 17 minutes on their final two drives of the half. They went into the break down 17-3, with the defense looking strong against the rush, but surprisingly bad in pass coverage.
\-- The pass rush was lacking juice for most of this game. Detroit went into halftime with no quarterback hits or tackles for loss, with Love sitting in the pocket and spreading the ball around to great success. They finished with two quarterback hits and no sacks, with only three edge rushers active for the season opener.
On the semi-bright side, the run defense was the one saving grace throughout the game, until the Packers found some success in the fourth quarter. Green Bay ran 25 times for only 78 yards, with Josh Jacobs saving his best looks for the decisive fourth quarter. Jacobs has scored a touchdown in nine straight games, establishing a new franchise record for the Packers running back.
\-- Detroit had the ball in the red zone with a chance to score before half, and ahead of starting the second half back on offense. But Goff had his eyes locked on St. Brown, and Packers safety Evan Williams jumped the route to make the pick to end the half on a tough note.
\-- With veteran offensive tackle Jamarco Jones landing on injured reserve due to an ankle injury, the Lions rolled with two tight ends rather than stretching their thin offensive line depth for most of the day in Green Bay. Giovanni Manu was active for the first time in his career, with Jones out and Dan Skipper missing practice all week on the practice squad. But Manu did not appear to enter the game.
\-- The offensive line did not enjoy the best day across the board. The Packers had four sacks and seven quarterback hits, while keeping the one-two punch of Gibbs and Montgomery bottled up. Micah Parsons put a bow on the dominating showing with his first sack in Green Bay, coming very late in the fourth quarter to put a jolt of energy through Lambeau Field.
\-- There were no big surprises in terms of pre-game inactives. The Lions were without running back Sione Vaki, linebacker Trevor Nowaske, safety Thomas Harper, and defensive linemen Chris Smith, Mekhi Wingo and Tyrus Wheat. Anthony Pittman saw action on special teams, and Jacob Saylors stepped into Vaki’s role as kickoff returner with Grant Stuard.
\-- Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold suffered a groin injury in the second half and did not return. Arnold worked through injuries during training camp, so this injury is one to track in the coming weeks. The second-year defender stayed on the sideline for the rest of the game despite the injury.
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