At start of the 2025 offseason, Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst plainly stated that the team needs to ramp up its sense of urgency and compete for championships. Even though the Packers made the playoffs as the youngest team in the league for the second year in a row in 2024, lackluster starts against the best teams consistently plagued Green Bay throughout the season, including the 22-10 wildcard loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Gutekunst literally put the team’s money where his mouth is by signing cornerback Nate Hobbs and guard Aaron Banks in free agency. A month and a half later, he drafted receiver Matthew Golden in the first round after the Packers pass catchers’ disappointing 2024 campaign.
Then, 10 days before Green Bay kicked off the season versus defending NFC North champion Detroit Lions, Gutekunst reinforced the message with the boldest move of his tenure: He traded for All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons and made him the highest paid non-quarterback in league history. To acquire the hall-of-fame caliber star from Dallas, Gutekunst gave up beloved veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark, two first round picks, and enough salary cap space to afford multiple lake house mansions in Door County. Gutekunst left no ambiguity about his Super Bowl aspirations with this roster.
Message received. The Packers pounced on the Lions early in a dominant, wire-to-wire 27-13 divisional win.
“I thought our guys were dialed in for the game,” coach Matt LaFleur said in regard to the fast start via packers.com. “We always talk about how your energy and effort are going to lead to better execution, and I thought our guys went out and did that.”
Of course, it’s only the first game in a long and arduous season. The locker room understands the end goal, but the next game is always front of mine – especially the week two matchup against the Commanders in four days.
“I told the guys you can enjoy this for about five minutes, but it’s really Wednesday in our world,” LaFleur said.
Outside the locker room, Packer fans will likely celebrate the defense, and the win, until Thursday morning at the earliest. The home-opener was Lambeau Field’s first since 2018, and LaFleur’s first as head coach.
A week of tantalizing hype manifested itself into tangible, defensive dominance. The crowd, roaring for Parsons at every chance it had, and the defense fed off each other’s energy. In turn, Jeff Hafley’s crew feasted on the Lions.
Through three-and-a-half quarters, Green Bay held Detroit – last season’s best offense – to two field goals on two long, hard-fought drives. The Lions added their lone touchdown with a minute remaining and the game in hand.
“I was really proud of the energy our guys brought,” LaFleur said. “Defensively, it was a dominant performance. Our style of play was exactly what we wanted.”
Before that final drive, the Packer defense was as ferocious as it was sound. The group generated nine tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, four sacks, and an interception. Parsons, playing in a limited role as he acclimates to game shape, registered a sack, a quarterback hit, and a handful of impactful pressures.
The defense started the game with a three-and-out thanks to a Parsons pressure. The Packer offense answered accordingly with an opening-drive touchdown when Jordan Love delivered a 15-yard liner to Tucker Kraft on 3rd-and-9 for the score, 7-0.
The offense scored on its ensuing two drives – a Brandon McManus field goal and a 17-yard Love loft to Jayden Reed, 17-3. The only other play on the second touchdown drive was a 48-yard, play-action shot to Romeo Doubs. The drive served as an immediate counterpunch to a Lions field goal.
Green Bay took the 17-3 lead into the locker room. Detroit opened with another field goal and the Packer offense hit a third-quarter lull, but the defense stood firm in the second half.
A Rashan Gary goal-line sack pinned Detroit deep, which set up the Packer offense on the Lion 36-yard line. The offense salted the game away with Josh Jacobs pounding in a three-yard touchdown run behind Aaron Banks and Elgton Jenkins, 24-6. Love used the same interior lineman to convert a fourth-and-one sneak on the drive. McManus added another field goal on the next drive for Green Bay’s final score.
The offense provided a fundamentally sound football script: a hot passing offense to jump out to an early lead, and a bruising running attack to seal the win late. However, Parsons provided the story.
On the game’s first series, Parsons beat All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell inside on third down to pressure Lions quarterback Jared Goff. The pressure forced a check-down pass and subsequent punt.
Late in the second half with Detroit in the red zone, Parsons again beat Sewell to the inside. Parsons’ immediate pressure rushed Goff’s pass and resulted in a diving interception by safety Evan Williams to stop the Lions from scoring.
Parsons, seemingly playing into the hype for his Packer debut, delivered in the final act of his crescendo. With 4:16 remaining, Goff rolled to his right extending a play. Parsons, initially swallowed by a mass of humanity on the offense’s left, burst out and hunted down the scrambling quarterback for his first sack as a Green Bay Packer.
The sack provided a storybook ending, but it was merely the end to a chapter. The Packers will need to turn the page as that’s what championship teams do. And the message is clear: this team expects to compete for a championship.
Other Notes
Love finished 16/22 for 188 yards and the two touchdowns. He was calm and accurate in the first half behind an offensive line that gave him ample time. The second half was rockier and included a bonehead near interception, and an interception nullified by penalty.
10 different Packers caught a pass from Love. Reed led the way with three receptions.
Jacobs grinded his way to 66 yards on 19 carries. He had no running room in the first half, but was still crucial in pass protection.
Edgerinn Cooper had 12 total tackles, while Javon Bullard and Quay Walker each had nine. Cooper and Walker were each very noticeable in limiting the fierce Lions rushing attack which ended with 46 yards on 22 attempts.
Lukas Van Ness and Devonte Wyatt – young defensive lineman both expected to become impact players – did so in their first game. “LVN” registered half a sack, a couple of pressures, and four tackles. “DY” also had a sack.
Sean Rhyan and Jordan Morgan rotated drives at right guard. Newly-acquired tackle Darian Kinnard filled in for an injured Zach Tom at right tackle.
Tom, Brenton Cox, Aaron Banks, and Bo Melton each had reported injuries from the game. Nate Hobbs did not play due to an offseason knee injury.