Lions falter in opener; Campbell calls issues ‘correctable’

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Beginning 0-1 is a less-than-ideal start for the Detroit Lions, but coach Dan Campbell reminded his players after Sunday’s loss that it’s also “not what it appears to be” inside the visitors locker room.

After suffering a 27-13 loss to the Packers, snapping Detroit’s three-game winning streak at Lambeau Field, the Lions’ offense failed to score a touchdown through three quarters for the first time since 2023 in Week 7 at Baltimore, per ESPN Research.

After leading the league in points per game (33.2) last season, Campbell says the Lions never got in a rhythm offensively, and it showed.

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“I thought we would be cleaner than we were. I thought we’d be much cleaner than we were,” Campbell said. “And it wasn’t as clean, but there again, you’re talking about a few plays that were critical. But, like I told the team, these are so correctable. Everything that showed up is so correctable, and we will hit it head-on.”

They’ll have to continue working out the kinks of acclimating new offensive coordinator John Morton, as well as a revamped offensive line, with new starting guards Christian Mahogany and rookie Tate Ratledge in the mix. The Lions struggled on both sides from the start of the game, trailing 17-3 at halftime, and never recovered.

“So, like I told them, let’s clean up the tape. We made some critical errors at the worst times possible, and if you don’t do those, you take those out of the equation, it looks different,” Campbell said. “You feel like it could be a totally different scenario, but we did make those critical errors at the worst time. So, we’re going to learn from it.

“We’ll clean it up. It gives us a little barometer of where we’re at Game 1 and that’s OK. It’s always about improving, no matter what. We’re going to take it and we’re going to improve.”

Detroit averaged 3.8 yards per play, which was the second fewest in any game under Campbell since his 2021 arrival. The Lions’ 246 total yards were also their second fewest in any game since 2022, as quarterback Jared Goff struggled to find a groove.

Goff, who was sacked four times, was 31-of-39 for 225 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception. His lone passing touchdown came in the final minute of the fourth quarter, throwing a 13-yard TD to rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa on his first career reception.

Fewest SinceYds per play3.8*2021Points1320231st downs162023* Second fewest under Dan Campbell– ESPN Research

However, Goff is confident that the Lions can move past their early struggles as they prepare to face the Chicago Bears at home for Week 2.

“We’ve got good players. We’ve got good coaches. We’ll be fine,” Goff said. “There needs to be an urgency of improvement. There has to be. Today wasn’t even close to being good enough offensively, and we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Entering Sunday’s game, the Lions had scored 14 points in their past 25 games (including the playoffs), which was the longest active streak in the NFL.

Early on, they tried to feed running back Jahmyr Gibbs, but he struggled with 50 yards on 19 touches. Gibbs’ team-high 10 receptions for 31 yards were the fewest receiving yards when recording at least 10 receptions in a game since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, per ESPN Research.

Lions All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown believes that better preparation and more accountability throughout this upcoming practice week will help them rebound from the season-opening loss. They’ll rely on their veteran players to address and fix their shortcomings.

“You can’t dwell on this loss too long,” said St. Brown, who finished with four catches for 45 yards. “Obviously, you’re going to correct what was wrong, but after that, you’ve got to move on and be able to wash it away and move on to next week because you’re only as good as your last week in this league. It’s Week 1. It’s early.”