The Detroit Lions wanted to run the ball and check it down in the passing game against the Green Bay Packers’ deep coverage shell defense on Sunday. Unfortunately for them, they got little production out of doing so.
Overall, the Lions’ top two running backs combined for 87 yards over 34 total touches (2.6 yards per touch) in Week 1. Jahmyr Gibbs alone posted just 31 yards on 10 receptions, the lowest yardage any NFL pass-catcher who caught 10 passes in a game has ever recorded. Of Gibbs’ 19 touches,
only two went for first downs.
I wanted to write a story on how the Packers bottled up the Lions’ running backs, but there wasn’t one silver bullet, a single scheme or a single player that made the difference. Really, it was a team effort. They just tackled really well on Sunday, in the open field, in pursuit with the help of the sideline and in gang tackle situations.
Below is a cut-up of Gibbs’ 10 receptions:
Jeff Hafley’s guys were just ready to play from the opening whistle. They simply brought down running backs close to where defenders made initial contact with them.
Here’s the full list of yardage, by play, from Gibbs and David Montgomery touches, in order: 1, 2, -2, 14, 5, -2, 5, 4, 2, -1, 4, 2, 5, 0, 6, 3, 7, 6, 2, 0, 3, 5, 1, 4, -6, 7, 4, 1, 1, -1, 1, 4, -1 and 7. Only one of those 34 plays went for more than seven yards. Per Next Gen Stats, the Lions were held to their lowest explosive play rate in a single game since the 2021 season, when Detroit went 3-13-1.
Under head coach Matt LaFleur, we’ve seen some slow starts. Usually, Week 1 looks like a team just trying to find its groove, one that is still in the process of working on the playbook or its fundamentals. This time around, though, the Packers’ start to the season felt like a continuation of where Green Bay ended the year, when they were able to go toe-to-toe with the eventual Super Bowl champions on the road in the playoffs.
Here’s to hoping that progress can be carried over from year to year, instead of having to start from scratch again every Week 1. This feels nice.
