The Detroit Lions did not look like the Super Bowl-bound powerhouse many have expected them to be in 2025 in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. On the contrary, they looked like the Lions of the early Jared Goff years against a fantastic Packers defensive line.
The Lions' offensive line, still getting used to the addition of Graham Glasgow at center and the utilization of Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratledge at guard, looked shoddy, to say the least. Even Penei Sewell struggled to maintain a clean pocket for Goff, resulting in a turnover and just one score through four quarters of action.
It's a big part of why Detroit has taken a huge tumble from fifth to 15th in this week's power rankings courtesy NFL Spin Zone's Lou Scataglia:
"A two-touchdown loss by the Detroit Lions in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Season has some of our worst fears with this team perhaps being true. Them being able to rebound from losing both Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson does not feel likely, and sure, things can change, but you don’t get the sense that they’ll change all that much for this team."
"The Lions fall quite a bit in our power rankings, as they are 15th and do truly feel like an average team. Can the insane roster talent on the Lions help this team work its way through the mud in 2025?"
Lions aren't what their Week 1 performance embodied
Detroit looked average in Week 1 - only getting 5.8 per pass attempt against Green Bay, and scoring just 13 points despite 35 minutes of possession time compared to the Packers' 24 minutes. Defensively, they did not look like the dominating unit we couldn't stop hearing about in training camp. No sacks, barely any pressure on Jordan Love, and a secondary that couldn't keep up with the Packers' receiving corp all bundled for an afternoon to forget.
However, as head coach Dan Campbell and Goff said in their respective postgame press conferences, the panic button hasn't been hit yet. This was Week 1 with a nearly brand new offensive line and with a pass rush beginning to get their footing again against a tough Packers O-line. Things looked and felt shaky beyond belief, but the problems the Lions faced in Week 1 are ultimately fixable.
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Firstly, offensive coordinator John Morton has to hope for a better day from the Lions' offensive line next Sunday against the Chicago Bears. His playcalling wasn't exactly show stopping, but a lot of what was drawn up for Detroit's backfield and for Goff to get a rhythm could've worked had the line been able to get better blocking.
Secondly, the defensive scheming that involved some plays where Marcus Davenport and Aidan Hutchinson dropped back in coverage has to change. Hutchinson and Davenport are, at this point, the teams' only reliable pass rush available. They have to be utilized as such, and not as these zone defenders as Kelvin Sheppard wanted them to act as in Week 1.
15th in these power rankings feels fair, though. Detroit, sans a ridiculous touchdown from Isaac TeSlaa, didn't look the part of a Super Bowl contender - Green Bay did. They'll need to thoroughly dismantle the Bears in Week 2 in order to gain some respect back as contenders moving forward, especially with a gauntlet of a schedule headed their way.