Detroit Lions Named Most Concerning Team Out Of Week One By Analyst

After a season that had the city buzzing with championship hopes, the Detroit Lions stumbled out of the gate, dropping their opener to the division-rival Green Bay Packers in a performance that can only be described as lifeless.

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky didn’t mince words on “The Pat McAfee Show,” calling the Detroit Lions the “most concerning team” in the league after the first week of action.

“It was a boring watch,” Orlovsky said. “It was a depressing watch.”

He’s not wrong. For a team that prided itself on an explosive, creative offense, the Detroit Lions looked like a shell of their former selves. The magic, the swagger, the sheer unpredictability that defined them last year was gone. In its place was a bland, predictable attack that struggled to put points on the board, managing a paltry 13 against a Green Bay defense that, while improved, shouldn’t be shutting down an elite offense.

So, what went wrong? And is this a one-week blip or a sign of a much bigger problem?

Where Did the Offensive Spark Go?

Let’s call it what it is: the Ben Johnson effect. The architect of Detroit’s high-flying offense is now the head coach of the Chicago Bears, and his absence was painfully obvious. Last year, Johnson was the maestro, dialing up inventive plays that created mismatches and consistently put his players in a position to succeed. You could almost feel the energy and creativity through the screen.

Against the Packers, that energy was gone. The offense felt stagnant. New offensive coordinator John Morton might have said he wasn’t changing much, but the execution told a different story. The Detroit Lions couldn’t establish the run, they struggled on third down, and the explosive plays that were once their signature were nowhere to be found. Jared Goff looked uncomfortable, the offensive line wasn’t its dominant self, and the whole operation lacked the rhythm that made them so dangerous.

Head coach Dan Campbell admitted as much, pointing to a lack of clean execution. “We had some miscommunications, some missed assignments that really cost us at the worst times,” he said. “It just wasn’t clean. We didn’t play well.”

While Campbell talks about fundamentals, the problem feels deeper. It’s not just about missed blocks or penalties; it’s about the soul of the offense. Johnson’s system was built on a foundation of creativity and aggression. What we saw in Week 1 was vanilla, conservative, and frankly, easy to defend.

Are the Detroit Lions Headed for a Fall?

It might feel like an overreaction to one game, but the warning signs are flashing bright. The NFC is a gauntlet, and the Detroit Lions can’t afford to look this disoriented. The hype that surrounded this team was built on the belief that they were an offensive juggernaut that could outscore anyone. If that identity is gone, what’s left?

The departure of a star coordinator can cripple a team. We’ve seen it time and time again in the NFL. A new play-caller, even one from the same coaching tree, can struggle to replicate the same chemistry and feel. The league is about adjustments, and right now, it looks like the rest of the NFC North has adjusted to the Detroit Lions, but Detroit hasn’t found a counter-punch in the post-Ben Johnson era.

The pressure is now squarely on Dan Campbell and John Morton to figure it out, and fast. They have the talent. Amon-Ra St. Brown is a stud, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are a potent backfield duo, and the offensive line is one of the best in the league on paper. But talent alone doesn’t win games in this league.