The Green Bay Packers 2025 regular season campaign will begin at Lambeau Field later today against the Detroit Lions. And even though it’s just week one, the game could mean so much later on in deciding the NFC North division champion.
There is a ton on the line with this one.
Packers and Lions: New Year, New Me – or Is It?
Packers
If you have been following the Packers offseason, then you know about all of the changes that have taken place for Green Bay. Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Josh Myers, T.J. Slaton and Kenny Clark are no longer on the team. However, the Packers did add Nate Hobbs, cornerback from the Raiders, and offensive linemen Aaron Banks from the 49ers. They also had one heck of a draft back in April in which they took wide receiver Matthew Golden in the first round. Golden was the first first-round wide receiver since 2002. And last week, the Packers made the splash of the offseason by trading for Micah Parsons.
I think I said it back in February: don’t ever expect the Packers to have a boring offseason.
Lions
The Detroit Lions also had quite the interesting offseason. They lost both offensive and defensive coordinators to head coaching positions, which in itself is a great loss for Detroit. For offensive coordinator they now have John Morton, and for defensive coordinator they have Kelvin Sheppard.
For roster-building, here are a couple of names to be aware of: in free agency, the Lions were able to sign D.J. Reed, the former New York Jet cornerback. They also brought in Roy Lopez, the defensive tackle from the Cardinals. Through the draft, the Lions drafted Tyleik Williams, who will be able to help shore up that defensive line.
So the player I’m most interested to see off of the Lions is their third-round draft pick Isaac TeSlaa from Arkansas. He is a guy that I spotlighted after the NFL combine for being a possible future Packer. I was wrong. Very wrong, sadly, and now I’ve been hearing great things about him. The Lions must feel real good about him if they were willing to trade away Tim Patrick.
Key Matchups
1. Can’t talk about key matchups without mentioning the quarterback. In this case here, how will Jordan Love fare against the Lion’s man coverage and blitz heavy scheme? This could be even more of a question mark considering how injured the Packers receivers are currently.
2. How about the Packers run defense? The Packers lost their two top run defenders on the line in T.J. Slaton and Kenny Clark. The Lions probably have the best running back duo in the league with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Green Bay’s young defensive line will need to step up.
3. Micah Parsons, Rashan Gary, and Lukas Van Ness vs. the Detroit Lion’s offensive line: When Jared Goff had a clean pocket last season, he looked like the MVP of the league. When pressured, Goff was pedestrian at best. If the Packers can get pressure on Goff, the Packers could have the edge.
4. Now, let’s reverse that. Aidan Hutchinson is returning from injury just in time to face a remade Packers offensive line. Can the Packers offensive line do enough to keep Love feeling comfortable? That remains to be seen. Elgton Jenkins is nursing an injury but should still play in this one.
Additional Packers Storylines in this One
In his entire tenure as the Packers head coach, Matt LaFleur has never had an opening game at home, which is just absolutely crazy. What’s even crazier? Green Bay hasn’t lost a home opener in twelve straight years. Will this be number 13?
How much does Micah Parsons play? On Saturday, Adam Schefter at ESPN reported that Micah Parson is likely to play today, but will be limited. Does how the game goes dictate how much he plays, or will he be on a hard snap count? This remains to be seen.
Finally, what will Matthew Golden look like? The Packers haven’t been in a position to need to start a rookie wide receiver in a long time. So is Golden actually ready to go? Or will he hit an early rookie wall?
Final Predictions
I will always pick the Packers to win. Can’t help it, they’re my team. My final score will be 28-24. Green Bay wins this one in regulation as Jordan Love hits Tucker Kraft in the back of the endzone with less than 30 seconds left in the game. However, since I will always pick the Packers, let’s see what AI’s prediction is.
ChatGPT: Lions 27, Packers 23 – “Detroit’s run game and efficiency in the red zone prove decisive, while Green Bay flashes its potential but falls just short at Lambeau in the opener.”
Of course, I absolutely hope it’s wrong. But either way,
Go Pack Go!
——————
Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
——————
The post Packers vs. Lions: New Season Will Start With a Bang! first appeared on PackersTalk.com Blog Posts and Podcasts.