The debut of new Detroit Lions offensive coordinator John Morton could have gone better. The Lions averaged just 3.8 yards per play and scored one touchdown during Week 1 versus the Green Bay Packers.
The easy conclusion is the unit misses offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. With Johnson calling plays, the Lions were ranked in the top five in yards and points three consecutive seasons.
But Lions head coach Dan Campbell didn’t blame the offensive play-calling while discussing the team’s coordinator Monday. Instead, Campbell pointed to the team’s inability to create anything on the ground.
Without that, Campbell suggested the Lions won’t have much of an offense no matter who’s calling plays.
“I thought he did good. There are a couple things that he wants back, certainly,” Campbell said of Morton. “But we got to be able to master bread and butter before you get to all the other stuff. The other stuff won’t matter if we can’t find a way to run the football for more than 2.1 per carry. That’s where everything starts for us.
“If we can’t, you’re out of play-action, you’re out of everything. Guys pin their ears back, and it makes it harder on some of those guys up front. That’s where it all begins really.”
In Week 1, the Lions ran the ball for 46 yards on 22 carries. As Campbell mentioned, that was for an average of 2.1 yards per rush.
Running back David Montgomery led the Lions with 25 rushing yards. He posted 2.3 yards per carry while fellow running back Jahmyr Gibbs registered 2.1 yards per rush.
Gibbs gained 14 of his 19 rushing yards on one carry. Behind the poor running game, the Lions lost to the Packers on Sunday 27-13.
Dan Campbell’s Lions Have Offensive Dud in Week 1
The Lions struggling at Lambeau Field used to be a common occurrence. But from 2022-24, Detroit was rather impressive at the historic stadium, beating the Packers three times in a row.
Before 2024, the last time the Lions won three consecutive times at Green Bay was 1968-70.
But the Lions were unable to win a fourth straight contest at Lambeau. Behind the recent arrival of edge rusher Micah Parsons, the Packers defense dominated Detroit. The Lions didn’t reach the end zone until the final minute of the game.
Unable to establish anything on the ground, the Packers sacked Lions quarterback Jared Goff four times. Parsons had one of the sacks.
Goff attempted 39 passes. While he completed 31 of them, he averaged only 5.8 yards and had an interception to go with his touchdown.
Lions Offensive Line Issues
It’s tough to oversell the idea that the Lions face the difficult task of replacing Johnson. But an even bigger issue for the offense could be the absence of ex-center Frank Ragnow.
The former anchor of Detroit’s offensive line, Ragnow made the Pro Bowl each season from 2022-24. In 2023 and 2024, he made second-team All-Pro. But Ragnow retired after the 2024 campaign.
Veteran interior offensive lineman Graham Glasgow started at center for the Lions on Sunday.
The combination of no Johnson and Ragnow, and an improved Packers run defense could have been the recipe for the Lions poor run game in Week 1.
“The Lions’ offensive line isn’t what it used to be after center Frank Ragnow retired, but this should still be an elite run game,” wrote The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen.
“Without their run game, Jared Goff had to play off schedule, and the Packers were able to pressure consistently.”
It’s only one game. The Lions have plenty of time to fix their deficiencies. Detroit will host the Packers on Thanksgiving.
But whether the Week 1 blame falls more on the OC or offensive line, Campbell made it clear the first thing the offense must fix is its ground attack.
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