The Detroit Lions endured a very uninspiring start to the 2025 season, dropping a Week 1 road game to the Green Bay Packers 27-13.
In the wake of Detroit's loss, the blame game has begun. Both new coordinators in John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard are drawing criticism from fans. Lost in the hyperbole of that, though, remains the fact that players always get the final say in between the lines.
Offensively, it wasn't a great game from the Lions, who put up only 246 total yards. They rushed for just 46 yards, which was a rough total given how Detroit has dominated games up front the last few seasons and how their mentality involves grinding teams down.
The reasoning for that was likely less to do with Morton and more to do with the fact that the Lions are breaking in three new starters up front. Christian Mahogany is a second-year guard and Tate Ratledge is a rookie. Both players are learning under fire, while center Graham Glasgow is a veteran adjusting to a new starting role.
Dan Campbell knows the Lions will have the chance to make some adjustments on the fly, and getting game experience under this group's belt could be the key to help fuel a turnaround in time.
"The more those five play together -- we've got two young guards -- but the more those five all play together, the better we're going to get. These are real reps against other opponents, you get a full game and then you go and you teach off of it. You correct it, you learn from it and you move on."
If the Lions are going to turn things around offensively, it's going to involve better play up front. Play calls mean a great deal, but there is no substitute for players winning their individual reps more often than not. Far too often, the Lions simply lost battles they had easily won in the past, which was also true on defense.
Lions' defensive line under major pressure to improve fast, too
While the focus was firmly on Detroit's lifeless offensive performance, their defense struggled in major ways as well. The Packers were able to put up 188 passing yards and score two touchdowns through the air. That was due in large part to struggles up front.
The Lions' pass rush was non-existent until stretches in the second-half. While Micah Parsons made an impact for Green Bay, Aidan Hutchinson struggled to get pressure on Jordan Love. The Packers did what they had to do to stop Hutchinson, and none of his teammates stepped up to support him. Green Bay's offensive line didn't allow a single sack.
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Brad Holmes maintains Detroit's pass rush is fine without major additions, and while that assertion feels shaky, it can still be the case. The Lions will have to do a better job scheming pass rush wins and hope the supporting cast can come together behind a resurgent Hutchinson. The line will have to play off of each other to have success, with Hutchinson's wins helping others have success and vise versa.
Detroit's biggest key to their failure in Week 1 this season was the key to so many of their major successes in years past. It's up to the trenches to improve and find their way, or it might not matter which plays are called in the end.