Jared Goff
Patrick McDermott/Getty
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 07: Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions looks on during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers during the game at Lambeau Field on September 07, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
The Detroit Lions did not have a great start to their season on Sunday. In Week 1, they faced their division-rival Green Bay Packers on the road and got destroyed — the final score was 27-13, and even that doesn’t tell the full story, as the Lions scored a late touchdown to make the scoreboard less ugly.
Much of the blame fell on the offense, as the defense did a decent job keeping Detroit in the game in the second half. Sloppy mistakes, poor offensive line play, and the inability to run that ball plagued the Lions in this game. All these things are foreign to this Lions franchise under head coach Dan Campbell, but they reared their ugly heads last week.
Lions offensive coordinator John Morton took to the podium on Thursday to discuss how they’re handling it and what they’ll change moving forward. “So the players have been awesome, great attitudes, great preparation — just like we did last week,” he said. “The bottom line is it’s just about execution. And the details of everything, and then taking some…a little bit less, so guys are playing a little bit faster, so everybody knows exactly what to do.”
“But I’m encouraged. There were some encouraging things in the game, obviously. And then we move on. That’s what we’ve done, great attitude by the guys. How do we fix this? Because that’s — we’re in the ‘fix it’ business as coaches. So Dan [Campbell]’s been awesome, players have been awesome, we had a good practice yesterday, and we’re moving on to Chicago.”
The Detroit Lions Really Struggled on Offense Against the Packers
Amon-Ra St. Brown
John Fisher/GettyGREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – SEPTEMBER 07: Amon-Ra St. Brown #14 of the Detroit Lions in action against Javon Bullard #20 of the Green Bay Packers during the game at Lambeau Field on September 07, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
With only 246 total yards in Green Bay, it was not a banner day for the Lions offense. QB Jared Goff’s box score doesn’t look too bad, going 31/39 for 225 yards and a touchdown, but he had just 5.8 yards per attempt and threw a costly interception deep in Packers territory at the end of the first half.
Detroit’s rushing offense was worse, with 46 rushing yards on the day and a dismal 2.1 yards per attempt. On third downs, the Lions went 5/15 — they struggled to generate yards and sustain drives.
The offensive line was a major reason why. With three new starters on the interior, including two rookies, it’s a very young group with some long-term potential, but right now it’s a struggling unit. LT Taylor Decker and RT Penei Sewell are still elite, but they can only do so much.
The Detroit Lions Had to Replace Both Coordinators This Offseason
Something that maybe didn’t generate as many headlines as it should have was the offseason turnover the Lions experienced on their coaching staff. Former OC Ben Johnson was one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel for years, eventually jumping to take the Bears job. DC Aaron Glenn was also a hot commodity and ended up taking the Jets job.
With both coordinators out, Detroit had to look elsewhere. That was a problem on offense in particular, as Johnson is considered one of the smartest and most creative offensive minds in the game. Replacing him is no mean feat, and Morton was an internal promotion and someone that Campbell trusts.
The early returns aren’t great, especially considering the offensive line woes the Lions experienced. Still, it’s just one game. There’s a lot of season left, and it sounds like Morton has the offense on track to bounce back this week against the Bears.