Packers vs. Lions Matchups: Who Has Edge in Week 1?

The Green Bay Packers will start the 2025 NFL season with perhaps the most important game of the regular season.

On Sunday, the Packers will host the Detroit Lions, who have won three consecutive games at Lambeau Field. All of them hurt differently.

In 2022, the Lions prevented Aaron Rodgers and the Packers from reaching the playoffs. In 2023, the Lions blew the Packers off their own field on a Thursday night. Last year at rain-soaked Lambeau, the Packers made a plethora of mistakes, including Jordan Love’s pick-six to Kerby Joseph, in a 24-14 verdict that was not nearly as close as the final score might have indicated.

This year, both teams see themselves as Super Bowl contenders. The Lions will return to full health but are replacing both of their coordinators, with Aaron Glenn the head coach of the New York Jets and Ben Johnson the head coach of the rival Bears. Lions coach Dan Campbell will have his work cut out for him in that regard.

In Green Bay, the Packers are a picture of continuity. Almost the entire coaching staff returns, including coach Matt LaFleur and his three coordinators. They return 19 of 22 starters from a season ago. Jaire Alexander was replaced by Nate Hobbs, Josh Myers by Elgton Jenkins (who was replaced by Aaron Banks) and Preston Smith by Micah Parsons.

Yes, Micah Parsons is a Green Bay Packer.

This game will have plenty of hype surrounding it and has a chance to be the best game of the weekend. Here is a look at the matchups for Sunday’s NFC North showdown.

Lions Pass Offense vs. Packers Pass Defense

The Packers added Micah Parsons to their pass rush. The Lions lost Ben Johnson, who was the mad scientist helping guide Detroit’s offense to the top of the league a season ago.

The question is how each new-look group will affect the game.

Parsons is going to play but will likely be on some sort of a snap count considering he did not practice at all prior to his first practice in Green Bay on Monday. With this being the first game of the season, and with a short turnaround to Thursday night’s game against Washington, players will still be getting their sea legs underneath them, so a heavy rotation on the defensive line is likely.

The Lions’ offensive line has been one of the best units in football, but they are undergoing a bit of a transition. Frank Ragnow, their starting center, retired in the offseason and right guard Kevin Zeitler left in free agency. The revamped line includes Graham Glasgow moving from left guard to center, rookie second-round pick Tate Ratledge taking over at right guard and 2024 sixth-round pick Christian Mahogany being inserted at left guard after starting one game as a rookie.

The upheaval in the middle could give Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley some options to try and create some confusion with Detroit’s protection schemes.

That might be a necessity, because Goff is coming off an MVP-caliber season. He set career highs last season in completion percentage (72.4), passing yards (4,629), touchdowns (37), yards per attempt (8.6) and passer rating (111.8).

On the perimeter, the Lions’ receiving corps has Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams as their top players. St. Brown is one of the best receivers in football and relishes opportunities to play against the Packers. Williams is a big play waiting to happen with the speed to help take the top off a defense.

While All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney will be waiting down the field, the key matchup will be when St. Brown moves into the slot. Javon Bullard struggled as Green Bay’s slot defender as a rookie last season, but he’s more experienced and healthy after playing through an injury year.

In addition, Isaac TeSlaa was one of the top receivers in football during the preseason. The Lions traded Tim Patrick to give TeSlaa, an elite size-speed prospect, the runway to be a contributor.

Sam LaPorta, with 146 receptions and 17 touchdowns during his first two seasons, is one of the best tight ends in the league and a safety blanket for Goff.

With all the question marks here, this game may come down to whether the Packers are able to affect Goff enough in the pocket. If they can do that, he’s prone to mistakes, but he lit them up a season ago.

Advantage: Push

Lions Rush Offense vs. Packers Run Defense

Of all the advantages, this might be the one that tilts the furthest in one team’s favor.

The addition of Parsons came at a cost. The Packers had to move Kenny Clark, who was their best run defender after TJ Slaton defected to Cincinnati in the offseason. Green Bay’s run defense is one giant question mark now coming into the season.

Their starting defensive tackles are listed as Devonte Wyatt and Colby Wooden. Wyatt was not drafted in the first round because of his ability against the run and Wooden had to earn his place on the roster in training camp.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs breaks away for a touchdown run in the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Karl Brooks is the primary backup, but more of a subpackage rusher. Nazir Stackhouse is an undrafted free agent. Warren Brinson is a sixth-round pick.

The Packers have publicly expressed confidence in this group, but they’re going to best tested early.

Detroit’s backfield boasts one of the best tandems in football. David Montgomery is a sledgehammer and tackle-breaking machine. Montgomery did not pile up big stats against Green Bay last year but had a huge fourth-down conversion in the team’s 34-31 win at Ford Field.

The real threat is Jahmyr Gibbs, who is one of the most explosive backs in the league as a runner and receiver. Last year, he finished fifth with 1,412 rushing yards, third among backs with a 5.65-yard average and first with 16 rushing touchdowns. He had 83 more rushing yards than Josh Jacobs on 51 fewer carries.

The Lions get off the bus wanting to run the football, and this feels like a game where they’ll want to emphasize that even more with Green Bay’s big question in the middle.

Advantage: Lions.

Lions Pass Defense vs. Packers Passing Offense

The Lions have a few game-changing players. Leading the charge is defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who like Micah Parsons is one of the best pass rushers in the game. He had 7.5 sacks in only five games last season before suffering a broken fibula and tibia. This will be his first game since October and he might need to knock off some rust.

Last season, he lined up mostly at left defensive end, which would mean a matchup against Green Bay’s premier right tackle, Zach Tom.

Across from him, there are some questions to be answered. Former Packers standout Za’Darius Smith replaced Hutchinson last season but remains a free agent. The other starting end will be Marcus Davenport, who had nine sacks for the Saints in 2021 but just three sacks in 23 games the last three seasons. The Lions have only four defensive ends on the roster, and while that could change before kickoff, there is potential for Green Bay to be able to tire them out.

The Lions remade their secondary in the offseason, adding former Jets standout D.J. Reed in free agency. He’ll join Terrion Arnold as the boundary corners.

One question comes at the nickel position. With Ennis Rakestraw on injured reserve, the Lions will go with Amik Robertson, who manned that position last year, or Avonte Maddox, who was a key reserve for the Eagles the past seven seasons.

Green Bay’s passing offense struggled to finish last season and must improve in order to compete for the Super Bowl.

Their offensive line should be steady with Rasheed Walker winning the job at left tackle, leaving Jordan Morgan as a potential super-sub.

The question is whether they’ll be able to make enough plays on the perimeter. Matthew Golden was the team’s first-round pick and has looked good. How much can you rely on a rookie in this spot? Green Bay might need to find out.

Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks missed a chunk of training camp. Reed will be playing with a Jones fracture whenever he does play. Reed said it’s about “pain management” and “adrenaline” getting him through on gameday. Christian Watson is on the PUP list.

Tucker Kraft likely will be a featured target in this game and during the season. Luke Musgrave had a nice camp, as well, giving the Packers some options with two-tight-end sets.

Ultimately, Green Bay has some questions to answer, but Jordan Love’s ability to move around in the pocket should make a world of difference from where he was a season ago.

Combine that with coach Matt LaFleur’s continuity with his quarterback and the Lions breaking in a new defensive coordinator, that tips the scales slightly in Green Bay’s favor.

Advantage: Packers.

Lions Rush Defense vs. Green Bay’s Rush Offense

The Packers’ run game was the strength of its offense a season ago, with Josh Jacobs rushing for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns in his first season in Green Bay.

The Packers remade the interior of their offensive line this offseason. Aaron Banks was brought in to play left guard, which allowed Elgton Jenkins to replace Josh Myers by sliding into center. Those two combine with Sean Rhyan to bring a powerful element to the interior.

They’ll be facing off against a Lions defensive line that added Tyleik Williams from Ohio State in the first round of April’s draft. Williams was considered one of the best run defenders at his position coming into that class, and he’ll likely start for Detroit’s defense. Veteran D.J. Reader also has a reputation as an excellent run defender.

One big thing missing in the middle of Detroit’s defense is defensive tackle Alim McNeil, who was in the midst of a breakout season before a late-season ACL injury that will keep him on the sideline to start this season.

Whether Green Bay’s able to move those two big defensive tackles will help decide the winner of this matchup. The brilliance of Jacobs, however, puts this, albeit slightly, in Green Bay’s favor.

Advantage: Packers.

Special Teams

Green Bay’s special teams are in as good of shape as they have been in Rich Bisaccia’s tenure. That’s largely true due to the kicking game, where Brandon McManus and Daniel Whelan give the Packers an excellent kicker-punter tandem. After an excellent training camp, long snapper Matt Orzech was given a three-year contract extension.

It will be interesting to see what the Packers do in the return game. Mecole Hardman was brought back onto the practice squad after being released on cutdown day. With Jayden Reed’s injuries and Keisean Nixon’s expanded duties on defense, Hardman could be elevated to the gameday roster to handle returns.

Detroit’s special teams are led by Jake Bates, who kicked the Lions to a 34-31 victory a season ago at Ford Field. Kalif Raymond is one of the NFL’s top punt returners. A linebacker, Grant Stuard, is listed as the kickoff returner. He has zero returns in four seasons but averaged 31.2 yards per runback in the preseason.

The Lions are also known to be aggressive under Dan Campbell, so this will be a game to keep an eye out for fakes.

Both teams are solid at both kicking positions. This one is pretty even.

Advantage: Push.

Lions Pass Offense vs. Packers Pass Defense

Lions Rush Offense vs. Packers Run Defense

Lions Pass Defense vs. Packers Passing Offense

Lions Rush Defense vs. Green Bay’s Rush Offense

Special Teams

More Green Bay Packers News