The running game was the driving force of the Detroit Lions’ offense over the past two seasons, amid a run to the top of the NFC pecking order and Super Bowl hierarchy but was stymied by the Packers in the season opener on Sunday afternoon.
Last season, only five teams averaged more rushing yards than the Lions’ 146.4 per game, and the Packers slammed the door on Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in a 27-13 victory.
Montgomery posted 25 yards, and Gibbs just 19, while averaging 2.1 yards per carry.
That’s a major ingredient to a blowout win, especially against a division rival.
Packers Run-Defense Rules the Day vs. Lions
Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Over at ESPN, NFL analyst Bill Barnwell underscored just how vital the Packers’ run-defense was in Sunday’s victory, and the major concerns it raises for the Lions’ offense moving forward.
“On Sunday, that Lions ground game came to a halt,” Barnwell writes for ESPN. “Mahogany was overpowered by Colby Wooden and beat to the inside by Nazir Stackhouse to create a pair of tackles for loss. Glasgow had trouble with his double-teams, including a whiff of a forearm shiver to leave Gibbs with a lineman in his face in the backfield. The execution from what often looked like such a well-oiled unit in 2023 and 2024 was lacking. The idea of establishing the run to create a basis for play-action is faulty, but the Packers weren’t afraid of Detroit’s run game yesterday. They didn’t have any reason to be.
“That pushes Goff into the dropback passing game, which creates problems. Over the past four years, Goff is first in the NFL in QBR when unpressured — but 28th by the same metric when pressured. The Packers overloaded Ratledge with a double A-gap pressure for one sack, while Lukas Van Ness put Mahogany on skates for another. Taylor Decker struggled with Rashan Gary. And when Sewell is struggling with Parsons, well, there’s nothing for the Lions to fall back on. They’ll face easier defenses than the Packers, but the NFC North is officially a real fight. And the Lions have a weakness other teams are going to be picking at in the weeks to come.”
The Lions’ offensive line is a going concern for Detroit, and presented an opportunity for the Packers’ defense to make a statement and throw down the gauntlet for the season ahead.
For More Football News:
Follow Matt Lombardo on Threads at @MattLombardoNFL. To read more of our articles and in-depth NFL coverage, click here.
