The Detroit Lions clearly will require time to adjust to life without former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Johnson departed to become head coach of the division-rival Chicago Bears after guiding the Lions to consecutive NFC North titles and an NFL-best 33.2 points per game last year. In their first contest since his departure, Detroit didn’t reach the end zone until the final 55 seconds of a 27-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
“We just couldn’t ever find a rhythm,” coach Dan Campbell admitted.
That sluggish performance could increase pressure on new play-caller John Morton, who was a senior offensive assistant in Detroit during 2022 before spending the last two seasons as Denver’s passing-game coordinator.
Coaching transitions often come with growing pains.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t be great immediately,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “We should already be playing great. But there are challenges you must confront, overcome, and improve upon. That’s why we need urgency in fixing those issues, and I plan to lead the way.”
The coordinator switch wasn’t Detroit’s only offensive shake-up.
The Lions also replaced starters at three offensive line spots between veteran left tackle Taylor Decker and two-time All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell. They lost longtime Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow to retirement.
Most of the key skill players from last year’s squad returned, but their production fell well short of expectations.
David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, who combined for 2,187 rushing yards and 28 scores a season ago, were limited to only 44 yards on 20 attempts. Star wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown managed four receptions for 45 yards. Goff threw 31 completions for 225 yards with one touchdown and one interception, rarely challenging deep downfield.
The Lions’ lone explosive play came on a 32-yard catch by tight end Sam LaPorta early in the third quarter.
“Not nearly good enough, not even close,” Goff said. “It was extremely frustrating.”
St. Brown wasn’t sure how much the offseason adjustments factored into the offensive struggles, calling the breakdown “a mix of different things.”
“We made mistakes,” St. Brown said. “They punished us for ours, and we didn’t take advantage of theirs the way we needed to.”
Detroit came away with six points from three drives that each spanned more than 55 yards and reached the red zone.
“Our goal was to remain patient, and I thought Jared was,” Campbell said. “We took what the defense gave us, believing those bigger chances would eventually show. But we couldn’t quite connect on them.”
The Lions sustained a 16-play, 78-yard march lasting nine and a half minutes that ended in Jason Bates’ 30-yard kick to trim Green Bay’s margin to 10-3. The Packers immediately countered with a two-play, 65-yard touchdown series that burned just 53 seconds.
Detroit again moved into scoring territory late in the half, but Micah Parsons’ pressure forced Goff into a throw that Evan Williams intercepted on third-and-7 from the 16.
The Lions later had first-and-goal at the 10 early in the third, but three consecutive snaps lost six yards, resulting in another short Bates field goal.
“We should credit them, but we also failed in key areas,” Decker admitted. “They executed their strategy, but we didn’t execute ours at the standard required.”
“We’ve got talented players,” Goff said. “We’ve got strong coaches. We’ll be all right. But there has to be urgency to get better.”
