The Detroit Lions kick off the regular season with a division matchup in front of a national audience Sunday afternoon in Green Bay. Detroit and Green Bay are the two favorites to win the NFC North.
These are two explosive teams on offense with playmakers on defense and it should be a terrific Week 1 measuring stick contest for both teams.
Following is a preview of five areas of importance that could factor into who comes out of Week 1 atop the division and feeling pretty good about the start of their 2025 season.
1. Big plays in pass game
Green Bay had one of the best big-play passing attacks in the NFL last season, ranking fourth with 59 completions of 20-plus yards. Green Bay heads into 2025 with the potential to be an even better passing attack with the addition of wide receivers Matthew Golden and Savion Williams.
Detroit's defense allowed 62 completions of 20-plus yards last year, but the play of the secondary has been impressive in training camp and the Lions believe they can marry their rush and cover much better with the return of edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport.
On the flip side, Detroit's offense generated 62 completions of 20-plus yards in 2024, which was third most. Green Bay's defense allowed the second-fewest 20-plus-yard touchdown receptions (4) and were middle of the pack allowing 48 completions of 20-plus yards.
These are two offenses that generate a lot of big plays in the passing game. Which defense can limit them more?
2. Protecting the quarterback
The Packers just acquired one of the best pure pass rushers in the NFL, trading for three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, who has 52.5 sacks through his first four seasons in the NFL. The Packers already had a pretty good pass rush recording 45 sacks last season, ranking eighth best.
Detroit finished Top 10 in the NFL allowing quarterback Jared Goff to be sacked just 33 times. Detroit is starting three new players along the interior of their offensive line in Graham Glasgow at center and Christian Mahogany and rookie Tate Ratledge at the two guard spots.
The return of Hutchinson and Davenport has been huge for Detroit's defense in camp. Can those two make a big impact pressuring Packers quarterback Jordan Love Week 1? Green Bay allowed just 22 sacks last season and return a strong front offensively. Only Buffalo (14) allowed fewer sacks than Green Bay last season.
Last season teams scored a touchdown or field goal on just 26.2 percent of the drives in which they took a sack. They scored a touchdown on those drives just 8.2 percent of the time.
3. Ground and pound
The offenses in Detroit and Green Bay start with the run first and foremost. Both clubs were a combined 9-0 last season when they had a 100-yard rusher in a game. Green Bay ranked fifth in average rushing yards per game at 146.8 and Detroit was right behind them at No. 6, averaging 146.4 per game on the ground.
Detroit's defense was No. 5 in the NFL last season allowing on average 98.4 rushing yards per contest. Green Bay was seventh with 99.4 rushing yards allowed per game. When it comes to running and stopping the run, these are two very similar teams.
Who can establish the run more consistently and get their play-action pass game going? How will losing Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark in the Parsons trade affect Green Bay's run defense?
4. Third down
Detroit swept the series against the Packers last season in large part because they were dominant on third down. Green Bay out-gained Detroit 411 yards to 261 in the first matchup in Green Bay Week 7 but were just 3-for-12 of third down, 1-for-4 in the red zone and had an interception by Kerby Joseph returned for a touchdown. Detroit won 24-14.
The Lions won the second matchup on Thanksgiving at Ford Field in a shootout, 34-31. Detroit had 391 yards of offense to Green Bay's 298. Both teams were really good in the red zone going 4-for-5. The biggest difference in the contest was Detroit going 7-for-15 on third down and 4-for-5 on fourth down while the Packers were just 1-for-5 on third down.
Detroit's defense was No. 1 in the NFL on third down last year allowing just a 32.4 percent conversion percentage. Green Bay's offense converted 39.5 percent of the time on third down, tied with Pittsburgh for 15th in the league.
5. Inside 30 passing
These were two good pass defenses inside their own 30-yard line last season. Detroit ranked No. 1, allowing a passer rating of just 79.0. Green Bay was seventh at 97.8. Detroit tied with Dallas and Seattle with four interceptions inside their own 30.
That's the part of the field where everything gets condensed and there's less space to operate in. It takes a precise passing game to be effective in the red zone.
There were 12 teams in the NFL last season that had over a 100.0 passer rating inside the opponent 30-yard line. Detroit (113.7) ranked third and Green Bay (105.6) was seventh. Who can make more of those plays in the passing game in scoring territory to make sure touchdowns don't turn into field goals?
