*(same intro every day) Right before the new preseason starts, I like to go back and re-read our Week 1 reports from the prior season...just for fun and for seeing what our first reactions to the new season were--what did we see that we would soon regret, what was revealed that we were wrong about all preseason (last preseason), and where we were on the money for the season about to unfold...were we more right than wrong about the first reactions to 2025 going into it.
So, I'm going to post one a day for 16 days leading right up to the 2026 HOF game that kicks off the preseason. I'm not adding any notes or trying to explain or make excuses or let you know we figured it out the next week. It's just here to read...open source, not behind the paywall. Judge it how you like to judge it if you're a nonsubscriber--I'm not going to try to whitewash anything or give extra explanations. This just some reading material from what is the single most important thing we do each year--watch and scout the games each week and report out our findings and make FF reactions to them. Every week, it's a new week to make adjustments to. This is just every team's Week 1 as we wrote it. Enjoy...or don't.
What I like is some of the memories of Week 1 that comes rushing back when I'm reading these a year later...on top of seeing what we were seeing right off the bat.
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This was the worst game I think I’ve seen the Lions play in the past 2+ seasons (since they got good). And it was an offensive problem, not a defensive one. The defense was fine and unlucky. The offense was dreadful.
What caused the offensive problem is going to be debated in Detroit all week...and none of us will know the real issue for another game or two. Was it the Lions new offense/new O-C? Was it the Lions O-Line degradation from last season? Was it the Packers defense, especially their defensive front, that was so overwhelming that the offense broke down?
I don’t know for sure, but my takeaway from watching the tape is -- Detroit O-Line issues mixed with an excellent, aggressive Packers defense. Kudos to the Packers defense, it was terrific with or without Parsons on the field.
And my apologies for calling the Packers SAWFT in the preseason/for the 2025 season. They got smacked in the mouth by both the Lions and Vikings last year...an (0-4) record against them...they got physically handled by their NFC North foes in 2024. They turned the table on the Lions here...they made the Lions cower here. All hail the legit NFC North favorites...the Green Bay Packers, unless the Lions get their S___ together as the season goes.
Last season, the Lions had the superior O-Line and the better defense than the Packers. Both of those key areas have flipped to Green Bay’s advantage. This is a Super Bowl contending team for Green Bay. I also apologize to Matt LaFleur for selling him short as a head coach...this is his best team in his Packers career.
Player Notes...
-- The reason I think this was a Lions O-Line issue mixed with the Green Bay pressure/defense was watching the game through the eyes of Jared Goff (31-39 for 225 yards, 1 TD/1 INT)...
Goff had no time to throw on most every passing play, thus he completed 79.5% of his passes...but they were a TON of desperation dink and dunk passes...they had to be because Goff could rarely set his feet and step into a throw. There was pressure from up the middle, on the outside, from everywhere on almost every throw...and I mean that, on almost every throw Goff was just having to dump it to Jahmyr Gibbs, which is why he had 10 catches on 10 targets but for just 31 yards.
Either the Lions get their protections figured out...or they just don’t play the Packers every week...is what will fix the passing game. If they can’t get the blocking settled...it’s gonna be a down year in Detroit.
-- Lions WR report...
Because Goff couldn’t set his feet and survey and throw, like 2023 and 2024, the Lions WRs got little to work with in this game but dump/short passes as well.
Jameson Williams (4-23-0/5) will be a huge let down if Goff has no time for his routes to develop. But if Detroit corrects, then we go back to somewhat normal. I suspect the Lions will get things patched up/changed/corrected and be a better passing game...but nowhere near as good as last season.
Amon-Ra St. Brown (4-45-0/6) had a weak game and is headed for a down season right along with Jamo until the protections are improved...or they don’t play the Packers.
Sam LaPorta (6-79-0/9) was a beneficiary being that short, stop route option with Goff just getting rid of it.
-- Packers WR report...
Last year we all thought: There are no Packers WRs you can trust for FF because Jordan Love (16-22 for 188 yards, 2 TDs/0 INT) spreads it around so much/deftly.
Well, same thing to start 2025. No receiver had more than 3 catches or 5 targets in this game. All the Packers receivers are random streamers at this point. We’ll see if that's the case as we go...and that this wasn’t more due to the solid+ job by the Lions pass coverage, who were mostly good this game -- but Love made a couple clutch throws early and got up on them right away.
The delusions of Matthew Golden (2-16-0/2) as a quick FF star/output guy...not here, not anytime soon.
-- Josh Jacobs (19-66-1, 1-4-0/1) was bottled up most of this game but did get a short TD late to have a decent game. Don’t hate on JJ, the Lions may have the best run defense in the NFL. Green Bay ran the ball at a 3.1 yards per carry clip against them.
-- Well, maybe the Lions have the second best run defense in the league...because the Packers held the Lions to 2.1 yards per carry in this game.
Nothing worked for the Lions backfield...a combo of the O-Line issues and the Packers defense.
I wouldn’t panic on Gibbs/Montgomery yet...this may be the best defense in the league (GB), and the Lions had this misfortune to draw them Week 1.
-- I’ve praised them several times in this report, but we do have to consider this Packers-DST a top tier unit now. It will be an interesting matchup with the Commanders offense Week 2 on TNF. It may be worth getting in on Green Bay-DST and seeing where they take you.
You’re going to see a radical change in the GB-DST projections and outlook from us this week.
-- Isaac TeSlaa (1-13-1/1) had the lone Lions offensive highlight this game...a late game, beautiful one-handed leaping TD catch, somehow falling to the ground flat on his back and keeping his body inbounds and holding onto the ball. Dan Campbell said he is going to get TeSlaa more involved, and earlier in the games ahead.
-- IDP Notes...
Aidan Hutchinson (0 tackles) was back from his 2024 injury...and had no tackles and no real impact on the game. That’s not good...or GB has the best O-Line in the league now too.
Rashan Gary (7 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 TFL, 3 QB hits) benefitted from Micah Parsons (1 tackles, 1 sack) presence the most, being a constant nuisance this game. As well as Devonte Wyatt (3 tackles, 1 sack, 3 QB hits). Everything was clicking with that front line for GB.
Snap Counts of Interest:
34 = Doubs
23 = Golden
22 = Wicks
18 = J Reed
11 = Heath
03 = Savion
44 = Kraft
17 = Musgrave
65 = Jameson
63 = ARSB
44 = Raymond
03 = TeSlaa
44 = Gibbs
25 = Montgomery
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