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For one of the Lions' units, the loss to the Packers feels like it was three years ago

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Mike Payton | Last updated Sep 29, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Way back at the beginning of the month, the Detroit Lions looked like a completely different team up front on the offensive line. It was their first game without long-time All-Pro center Frank Ragnow and Pro Bowl guard Kevin Zietler. They were forced to go from having the best and most experienced offensive line in football to the group with the biggest questions.

And they struggled in that first game. A lot of missed assignments, they allowed 15 pressures, Jared Goff was sacked four times, and the run game was pretty nonexistent. The biggest takeaway from that game, besides the whole "the Lions aren't able to survive without Ben Johnson" thing, was that the Lions weren't going to be able to overcome the losses of Ragnow and Zeitler.

The loss to the Packers seems like it was years ago for the Lions' offensive line

After that game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell assured everyone that the offensive line issues really just came down to bad communication and maybe too much was put on their plate. He said they would go back to basics, and things would be better. That's exactly what happened. Since allowing 15 pressures in that first game, the Lions have allowed 21 in the last three games combined. That is an insane difference. Since allowing four sacks in the first game, this has happened:

For the first time since sacks became an official statistic in 1982, the @Lions have gone three-straight games without allowing a sack in a single season.#OnePride pic.twitter.com/UwA2vY07z2
— Detroit Lions PR (@LionsPR) September 28, 2025

It's just been a sight to see. Not even last year's offensive line could pull that off. The Lions have also been able to go from running for just 46 yards in Week 1 to 177 in Week 2, 224 in Week 3, and 109 in Week 4. It feels safe at this point to say that neither team in that Week 1 game might have been showing thier true selves. The Packers haven't really been the team people were saying they were since then, either. This is why you just can't base things on Week 1.

Detroit Lions Offensive Line Pro Football Focus Grades since Week 2

Look, things haven't been perfect. I think we can all see that. The Lions' offensive line still needs to grow together, and everyone not named Penei needs to clean some stuff up. Especially on the pass block side of things, even though the pressures and sacks haven't really been happening. The pressure is still working for the most part, and you saw that against the Browns when the Lions struggled to get the pass game going the way they wanted to.

Jared Goff deserves some credit, too, because he's been navigating pressure in a way that we haven't really seen him do before. He's not running all over the place, but he's stepping up in the pocket or maneuvering around pressure to get throws off. It's been pretty impressive.

The Lions will go on the road to Cincinnati this Sunday to take on the Bengals. A team with an elite pass rusher in Trey Hendrickson. We'll see how they handle it and if they can keep this sackless streak going.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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