Detroit Lions vs Green Bay Packers

Green Bay hadn't hosted a season opener at Lambeau Field since 2018 before welcoming Detroit Sunday to kick off the 2025 season. The Packers felt right at home, jumping out to an early lead and keeping their foot on the gas by defeating the Lions, 27-13.The loss was the first opening season loss by the Lions since dropping a Week 1 contest to the Philadelphia Eagles (38-35) in 2022.Packers quarterback Jordan Love threw two first-half touchdowns as Green Bay's defense held Detroit's high-powered offense to just three first-half points as Green Bay led 17-3 at the half.The biggest play of the first half was Green Bay safety Evan Williams intercepting Lions quarterback Jared Goff at the Packers' 10-yard line with just over a minute left in the half to keep points off the board.After a scoreless third quarter, Green Bay pushed the lead to 24-6 with just under eight minutes to go on a Josh Jacobs 3-yard run. They added a field goal late in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 27-6.

Detroit scored their only touchdown of the contest with 55 seconds left on a one-handed grab by rookie third-round pick Isaac TeSlaa for a 13-yard touchdown, the first of his career. The subsequent USA onside kick went out of bounds and Green Bay ran out the clock from there.Goff, who had guided the Lions to a win in each of his last three games at Lambeau Field, finished 31-of-39 passing for 225 yards with one touchdown, one interception, and a passer rating of 88.6. Goff was sacked four times and hit on nine different occasions.

Love completed 16 of his 22 pass attempts for 188 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 128.6. He threw touchdown passes to tight end Tucker Kraft (15 yards) and wide receiver Jayden Reed (17).Key stat: The Lions were the No. 3 red-zone offense in football last season, converting a touchdown 69.4 percent of the time. They were 1-for-4 Sunday while Green Bay was 3-for-5. That ended up being the biggest difference in the contest.

In the red zone last season, Goff threw 23 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He was just 4-of-9 passing with an interception and a touchdown in the red zone against the Packers.Big play: Trailing 17-6 with just over nine minutes left in the game, the Packers faced a 4th & 1 at the Lions' 10-yard line and Love was able to pick up the first down with a 2-yard scramble up the middle. Green Bay scored a touchdown on Jacobs' 3-yard run to push their lead to 24-6.Star performance: Packers veteran edge rusher Rashan Gary recorded seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and a tackle for loss to lead a nice outing by the Packers' defense.Injury report: Lions starting outside cornerback Teerain suffered a groin injury in the second quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

The wait is finally over after weeks of training camp, joint practices, and preseason games. Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season kicked off for the Detroit Lions in Lambeau Field, taking on the Green Bay Packers. The back-to-back NFC North champions were asked a tough task to start the season out, facing their biggest rival on the road with their new pass rusher, Micah Parsons.

From the opening drive, the Packers were in control the whole time. The Packers offense moved easily down the field for most of the game, despite being limited in the run. The Lions didn’t have an answer for Green Bay’s passing game, despite upgrades in the secondary. The pass rush couldn’t assist them, and the offense was a shell of its former self, struggling at everything.

There is plenty to discuss after the Lions’ loss on Sunday afternoon. Here are my takeaways from the 27-13 defeat to the Packers.

Lions pass rush lacking

According to PFF, the Packers were the third-best pass-blocking team in the NFL last season. They held their own against the Lions on Sunday ,as the Lions struggled to get pressure on Packers quarterback Jordan Love. PFF also credited the Lions with nine pressures. EDGE Aidan Hutchinson was quiet in his return from his injury last season, finishing with just three pressures. For your star player to be contained to just three pressures for four quarters, not ideal.

With all the injuries the Lions had last season, fans and the media expected Detroit to get some help for the pass rush, and the Lions didn’t make any big moves. They re-signed EDGE Marcus Davenport and released Za’Darius Smith, who has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. While the Packers have a respectable offensive line, if the defensive line can’t generate pressure on the quarterback, the secondary will be asked to do a lot this season.

Special teams struggles

Throughout the preseason, it appeared the weakest link on the team was the special teams unit. They produced multiple penalties and struggled on return defense. Those struggles continued into the regular season and might be a legit concern for the Lions. Kicker Jake Bates made both of his field goals, but kicked a ball into the end zone for a touchback, which will be harsher this season with the new kicking rules.

The return game on both sides was rough, too. While the Lions only allowed five returns for 71 yards, two of the returns by Green Bay were reduced due to penalties. The Lions struggled themselves on returns, getting seven for 135 yards, with the longest return being only 25 yards. Detroit might want to adjust to calling for fair catches if there isn’t room.

Offensive line won’t be like last year
We all knew the Lions would have a shake-up on their offensive line when right guard Kevin Zeitler signed with the Tennessee Titans in free agency. The bigger change was when center Frank Ragnow suddenly retired in June, forcing the Lions to play musical chairs with guard Graham Glasgow, moving him over to center. It also meant a rookie would have to start at either guard spot, with second-round pick Tate Ratledge running unopposed as fellow rookie Miles Frazier missed all of camp and preseason with an injury.

Last season, running back Jahmyr Gibbs averaged 5.6 yards per carry, and David Montgomery had 4.2. Against the Packers, Gibbs finished with nine carries for 19 yards and 2.1 yards per carry, while Montgomery had 11 carries for 25 yards, averaging 2.3 yards per carry.

The Lions offense needs the run game to be strong for it to succeed, and when it struggles, the passing game gets hurt too. Quarterback Jared Goff had an average game, going 31-for-39 for 225 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, but a lot of the yards came from checkdowns as the Packers’ defensive line generated pressure on the Lions’ young offensive line.

Terrion Arnold off to a rough start

Entering his second year in the NFL, cornerback Terrion Arnold was looking for improvement from his rookie season. The first half of last year was difficult for the young cornerback, but he improved as the season progressed. Arnold was targeted in the second quarter in back-to-back plays, first allowing a 48-yard catch by wide receiver Romeo Doubs and then a 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jayden Reed.

The common NFL analyst says cornerbacks improve from year one to year two, but so far, Arnold seems to be making the same mistakes as last season. Thankfully, no pass interference penalties, but Arnold was targeted heavily in this game and left the game with a groin injury in the third quarter and didn’t return. If Arnold has the same struggles as last season, opponents might target him every week.

Offense can’t settle for field goals

This isn’t a knock on the fourth-down decisions made by Lions head coach Dan Campbell; he did everything right there. This is on the offense struggling to finish drives in the end zone. Goff threw an interception in the red zone, which was a great play by the Packers’ defensive back, but if that was even incomplete, it would’ve been another field goal attempt for the Lions.

You can’t win games by just relying on getting in field goal range. This was the top offense in the NFL last season, averaging 33 points. This team is used to putting up points, and seeing them start out slow was tough to see. Could it be the change in coordinators? Maybe, but it’s only Week 1. It’s hard not to overreact, but it was the biggest thing I noticed, and only getting 13 points is not what anybody expected.

Run defense still Lions a strength

The Lions love to control the trenches, both offensively and defensively. While the Lions’ run offense was stagnant on Sunday, the run defense was its best unit of the day. Packers running back Josh Jacobs had 19 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown, forcing the Packers to beat the Lions through the air, which they unfortunately did.If the Lions’ pass rush and secondary can improve, the good run defense can really be

hard for an offense to overcome. Today, though, the Packers didn’t need to rely on their running game too much.The Detroit Lions won three straight games at Lambeau Field entering their 2025 NFL season opener in Week 1, but they couldn't make it a fourth.The Lions lost 27-13 against the Green Bay Packers in a Week 1 road matchup on Sunday, Sept. 7 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a game where the Packers thoroughly outplayed their division rivals.Rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa made an acrobatic catch for the Lions' lone touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but the game wasn't as close as the score appeared.The Packers pulled off one of the biggest trades in recent NFL history on Aug. 28 when they acquired All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons via a trade with the Dallas Cowboys, though he was limited in his play as he recovers from a back injury. He did, however, record his first sack as a Packer on Lions quarterback Jared Goff late in the fourth quarter.

The Lions' expectations have been lifted enough for many in the organization to tag 2025 as a "Super Bowl or bust," but they have a lot to work on to reach that goal after their poor Week 1 performance.

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Packers 27, Lions 13: Final score in NFL Week 1
The Lions defense did a pretty good job against the Packers rushing attack. TeSlaa made a brilliant catch.

Beyond that, there aren't many positives to take away from this game for the Lions. The defense struggled getting pressure on Packers quarterback Jordan Love, the offense wasted three red zone attempts early in the game and the Packers thoroughly beat them on their home field.

The Lions next play on Sunday, Sept. 14 with a home matchup against the Chicago Bears. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET at Ford Field.On a 4th-and-3 from the Packers 13-yard line, Lions quarterback Jared Goff tried to get rookie Isaac TeSlaa his first catch, and TeSlaa put together one of the most acrobatic catches you'll ever see.Starting inside of their own 10-yard line, the Lions didn't have much room to move backwards.

But move backwards they did after a Rashan Gary sack on quarterback Jared Goff and two David Montgomery rushes that netted zero yards. The Lions went three-and-out and punted, giving the Packers the ball on Detroit's 36-yard line after a big return from Green Bay's Jayden Reed.The Lions outscored the Packers (3-0) in the quarter, but wasted a potential pick-six opportunity that would've brought them back into the game.The good news: the Lions defense is getting more pressure on Packers quarterback Jordan Love, penetrating the Green Bay offensive line much more effectively than they did in the first half. But the Lions have zero touchdowns on three red zone attempts so far this game, and that's keeping them from a lead.

With Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson getting pressure on Packers quarterback Jordan Love, a wayward Love pass fell right out of linebacker Alex Anzalone's hands, forcing a 3rd-and-6.On the next play, Lions safety Brian Branch intercepted Love's pass, got up from his dive and raced towards the end zone. But the interception was negated by two penalties on the Lions, giving the Packers the ball back and a first down.Green Bay defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness sacked Lions quarterback Jared Goff to force the fourth down and punt, giving the Packers their first sack of the game. Green Bay gets the ball back on their own 15-yard line.

Did someone ask for a big stop?

The Lions defense forces a three-and-out on the Packers in their first defensive possession of the second half. A big tackle from linebacker Derrick Barnes forces the fourth down and leads to a punt.The Lions start on their own 21 yard line.

Posted on 2025/09/08 09:12 AM