Sewell's route running: I'm on record saying tackle Penei Sewell could probably be a Pro Bowl tight end in this league if he decided to lose 70 pounds and play it full-time. He's that good of an athlete. The Lions used him as a route runner on wide receiver Jameson Williams’ second touchdown catch of the game Sunday and two defenders ran with him to free up Williams for the 10-yard touchdown.
"Yeah, and he actually drew some coverage. I was talking about it with (Tom) Brady there after the game. He did," Lions quarterback Jared Goff said. "The linebacker went to him, and it allowed (Williams) to be open, and he did exactly what he was supposed to do; ran exactly to the spot, and he was ready for it too."
Moving up: Edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson recorded his fifth sack of the season early in the second quarter on a first-down play that resulted in a Packers three-and-out. It was Hutchinson's 48th sack of his career, tying Ezekiel Ansah for the fourth-most in franchise history.
Group introduction: The Lions' offensive line is playing pretty good football to begin the season and was recently graded by Pro Football Focus as the top unit in football after the first month of the season. They got center Cade Mays back from Reserve/Injured Sunday and continued to play well against Green Bay, paving the way for 119 rushing yards. They allowed one sack and one quarterback hit on Goff, and Detroit's offense racked up 415 total yards of offense against a Packers' defense that was Top 10 in that department coming into the contest.
They ran out together as a unit during offensive introductions before the game. That seemed fitting for how they have played to begin the year.
Flag toss: An official threw a flag on Packers defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt for unnecessary roughness on Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown while lying flat on his back after being a casualty of some late contact following a short St. Brown catch midway through the third quarter. I think that's a new one seeing a flag come flying from an official on the ground. He got pretty good height on it too.
Earning more reps: It was a full team effort for the Lions from their secondary members, including veteran Khalil Dorsey. Dorsey is one of the best gunners in the league and one of the fastest players on the team, and defensive coaches tapped into that a little bit Sunday facing Packers speedy wide receivers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden. Dorsey was thrown at four times, two on deep go routes, and allowed just one catch for five yards, per Pro Football Focus stats immediately following the game.
"When guys step on and make plays, we can get more opportunities," Campbell said of Dorsey. "That's the bottom line, man. So, did a good job, and there's no reason why he wouldn't get a few more plays."
Critical turnovers: Detroit had an opportunity to extend their lead late in the second half and then again getting the ball to start the third quarter but they missed both opportunities. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled at the Packers' six-yard line with 30 seconds remaining in the first half with the Lions leading 10-7. Then two plays into the third quarter Goff and Mays fumbled the snap and it was recovered by Green Bay. Goff said he pulled his hands out too early on the fumble. It didn't cost them the game, but those are opportunities they must take better advantage of moving forward.
Great sign: Williams recorded back-to-back games with two touchdown receptions for the first time in his NFL career. He finished Sunday with five receptions for 91 yards (18.2-yard average). He's playing with a lot of confidence right now and that's big for this offense. Two wins in a row with two big performances from Williams.
Rushing defense: Detroit has now held back-to-back opponents to 60 rushing yards-or-fewer for the first time since Weeks 10 & 11 of the 2024 season. Making teams one-dimensional offensively is a recipe for success and a good development on that side of the ball the last couple weeks.
