The Detroit Lions were completely shut down on the ground in their season-opening 27-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Detroit only rushed for 46 rushing yards on 22 attempts, their lowest total in a game since October 2023.
The Lions couldn’t get anything going with the run, and looked like a far cry from the team that has rushed for the fourth-most yards in the NFL since 2023. Jahmyr Gibbs carried the ball nine times for just 19 yards, while backfield mate David Montgomery gained 25 yards on 11 carries.
Detroit lived in dropback passing situations with Jared Goff, and the one-dimensionality on offense made it easy for Green Bay to eventually pin their ears back and rush the passer on their way to four sacks.
It was one of the last things the Lions wanted to see following an offseason where All-Pro center Frank Ragnow retired, hotshot offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left for Chicago and veteran guard Kevin Zeitler left in free agency.
Lions' run game might need time to gel with new IOL
Detroit moved veteran left guard Graham Glasgow to center, trusted second-year man Christian Mahogany to take over on the left and then drafted Tate Ratledge out of Georgia to fill the right guard spot.
It was quite the young and inexperienced guard duo, but Detroit hoped that having a veteran presence in Glasgow on the line would help the youngsters settle in.
Fast forward to Week 1.
Both Ratledge and Mahogany struggled and gave up sacks, Lions ball carriers were hit behind the line of scrimmage by a Packers defender on 16 of their 22 carries and Glasgow received the worst grade of any Lions offensive player by Pro Football Focus with a 43.6.
They got kicked in the teeth, no doubt about it. But that’s kind of what you sign up for when you start a guard tandem with just two combined NFL starts entering Week 1 (both by Mahogany, of course).
READ MORE: Lions get trounced by a vengeful Caleb Williams in latest Week 2 prediction
Which doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing, as long as they continue to get better week by week. The only true way to adjust to life as a starting NFL offensive lineman is by, well, starting, and the Lions believe in both players’ athletic traits and motor.
Some growing pains are to be expected with these two, but some gradual improvement is as well. Campbell readily admitted on Monday that both players probably should have taken more preseason snaps to prepare.
“With those two guys, yeah, we could’ve played them a little bit more (in the preseason),” Campbell said. “But, there again, you’re not playing against their starters. That’s why I like the joint practices. Now, just to get in the flow of the game? Yeah, probably. It’s not like more reps is going to hurt them. It’s going to help them. So, yeah, certainly, we could’ve played them a little bit more.”
And Detroit has two great, complementary players at running back with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, who can help the offensive line simply with their abilities to make nothing into something. Even if that didn’t really happen Week 1, they’re both due to bounce back.
The graver, more long-term existential issue for this offense, is Glasgow. It was always going to be tough to replace a player like Ragnow. He was a freak of nature who could take on the nose guard all by himself, freeing up Detroit’s guards to climb to the second level and maul people. There aren’t many centers like him who have ever played the game.
It might be time to have a talk about Graham Glasgow. Fearful he might not be able to consistently produce as a run blocker. 2.1 yards per carry is alarming. Offensive line blocking was off Sunday pic.twitter.com/rQcpSSsTLS
— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) September 9, 2025
But replacing him with a player on the wrong side of 30 who allowed nine pressures in a playoff loss just last season? That’s one of the biggest one-for-one downgrades any team made this offseason, and there’s not as much optimism with Glasgow to improve as there is with Ratledge and Mahogany. He’s in year 10 at this point.
Detroit has the running back talent, tackle duo and offensive line coach in Hank Fraley to rebound. This can still be a top-10 rushing offense in the NFL, especially if John Morton finds his groove as a playcaller.
Detroit needs to get its run game going to take pressure off of Goff and open up downfield shots in the play-action game, none of which happened in Week 1. If this kind of performance on the ground becomes closer to the norm, Detroit will finish much lower in not just its rushing total, but likely the win column as well.