The Green Bay Packers got their season off to a strong start, beating the Detroit Lions 27-13.
Lambeau Field was electric early with everyone’s excitement for the start of the season and Micah Parsons‘ first game with the Packers. This game looked like an early litmus test for two teams that have aspirations of winning the division and contending for a championship.
The Packers started their season with the offense taking the field and driving the ball in that patented Matt LaFleur offense way. The offensive line was able to protect Jordan Love, who repaid the favor by dissecting the Lions on his way to taking a 7-0 lead.
Green Bay’s defense seemed to feed off the excitement in Lambeau and the energy the offense manufactured by causing a three-and-out and getting the ball back to Love and Co., who made it a 10-0 game before the end of the first quarter.
While the Lions cut the deficit to one score with a field goal, Green Bay’s offense punched Detroit, immediately responding with a touchdown on 2 plays, making it a 14-point game.
From here, the Packers really never looked back as they pressed their foot on Detroit’s neck, never relenting.
Here are 5 numbers that tell the story of the game.
3/3
Green Bay’s offense started hot, going 3 of 3 on third-down conversions on their first drive.
Josh Jacobs started the first drive of the season a little slowly. Still, with Detroit’s defense selling out to stop the run, the passing game looked electric, especially with the offensive line giving Love ample time to do what he does best.
Love hit 6 different targets on the first drive, including rookies Matthew Golden and Savion Williams. The highlight of the drive was when Love hit Tucker Kraft on a 15-yard pass, fitting the ball right between the linebacker and safety. Love was clinical on third down with time in the pocket, also hitting Golden and Wicks to extend the drive.
Love with a dime to Kraft #GoPackGo 🧀🧀🧀
pic.twitter.com/GUH2RhaoSE
— Not Christian Watson (@CWatsonFan) September 7, 2025
While this number might feel like one that praises Love and the pass catchers, it’s equally as much credit for the offensive line that provided Love with all the time in the world to dissect Detroit’s defense, which seemed lost in man coverage.
1
There was a lot of excitement from Packers fans to see their newest acquisition, Micah Parsons. However, he only played 1 snap in the first quarter. That number might be slightly misleading, because Green Bay’s offense had possession of the ball for most of the quarter. Still, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley looked to limit how much they showed of Parsons early.
Parsons’ impact was felt on the first snap he played, beating Penei Sewell inside and moving Jared Goff off of his spot and forcing him to make an incomplete pass to get the offense the ball back.
Hafley stated that he would use Parsons as a chess piece and line him up in different positions, and we saw that early with Green Bay’s new No. 1 lining up over the center and guard on more than one third down.
He was also key to the interception at the end of the half, beating Sewell again and rushing Goff into a throw that was undercut and stopped any momentum the Lions had. He also got his first sack in Green and Gold late in the fourth quarter, closing in on Jared Goff, who looked to escape.
PSU IN THE NFL 🦁:
THE LION IS ALWAYS HUNGRY 🍽️
Micah Parson takes down Jared Goff for his first sack as a Green Pay Packer #WeAre | @MicahhParsons11
pic.twitter.com/s7WHyfBRnG
— White Out Weekly (@whiteoutweekly) September 7, 2025
While we may not have seen Parsons’ full impact, we got a sneak peek at how Hafely plans to use him throughout the season.
16
The Packers took advantage of Detroit’s weakened interior offensive line. They hit the running back in the backfield 16 times, the most in a game under Dan Campbell. Before the game, there was a lot of excitement about the defensive line’s ability to rush the passer, but it was their ability against the run that truly set them apart in this game.
It’s easy to think of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and all the trick plays that have become staples of the Lions offense under the Dan Campbell era. However, they are built on the backbone of the run game. On Sunday, the Packers shut down that run game.
While this isn’t the same offensive line as last year, they are without Frank Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler; however, they still looked to utilize their run game to both control the clock and get the Packers’ offense out of rhythm.
They were unable to do so as Green Bay’s defensive line dominated the battle in the trenches and got their hands on both Gibbs and Montgomery early.
5.6
Jared Goff did his best Charlie Checkdown impersonation all game with 5.6 yards per attempt. In the last couple of seasons, Goff has been known for his ability to throw the ball down the field. However, he has looked unable to push the ball at all, hitting Gibbs, Montgomery, and Sam LaPorta for most of his dropbacks.
Goff and Detroit’s offense sputtered today in both the passing and running game, failing to generate any of their patented explosive plays. Even Gibbs, a player known for his home run hitting ability, didn’t have a play of more than 5 yards from scrimmage until after the two-minute warning in the fourth.
Hafley’s crew deserves a lot of credit. They have been able to dominate at every level, from the trenches to the linebackers who were able to wrap up ball carriers. The secondary that had St. Brown and Williams in clamps all game.
While Goff ended with a stellar 79.5% completion rating, his only highlight was a passing touchdown to rookie Isaac TeSlaa, a play that was more notable for the catch than the throw.
Jared Goff heaved it up to Isaac TeSlaa for the one handed catch 🔥
WHAT A CATCH!!!! pic.twitter.com/285ugDhoPT
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) September 7, 2025
11.8
Green Bay’s passing offense was lively, averaging 11.8 yards per completion. Love was dealing early and often, and kept it going throughout the entire game.
Detroit’s defense bottled up Jacobs and the running game early, but Green Bay’s offense relieved the pressure on the running game by generating explosive plays through the air.
While we are yet to see who the wide receiver one on this roster will be, the receiving core and Kraft proved to be too much for Detroit’s secondary.