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Why it's 'panic mode' for this NFC team with a loss in Week 2
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson. Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Why it's 'complete panic mode' for this NFC team with another loss in Week 2

The Detroit Lions were one of the most disappointing teams in Week 1 after a 27-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Detroit had the best offense in the league last season, but no longer has former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson calling plays. In fact, Johnson will be on the opposite sideline on Sunday as the head coach of the Chicago Bears, who are coming off a disappointing Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings

Dan Orlovsky puts Detroit on notice after poor offensive performance

ESPN analyst and former Lions QB Dan Orlovsky was on Thursday's edition of "First Take" and was asked which team needs to bounce back more after disappointing Week 1 losses.

"The Detroit Lions, not even close. No. 1, this team has won 27 games over the last two seasons, 15-2 last year. No. 2, they had an offense that was probably as fun to watch and created more advantages than any other offense in the NFL. ... Jared Goff had 31 completions. Those completions averaged three yards past the line of scrimmage. When Ben Johnson was their play-caller, they averaged five plays a game that would go over 20 yards. They had one of them in Week 1.

"If they lose this game to the guy that used to be in their building, and their offense looks the same, panic mode, alarms, internal conversations of, 'Did we make the wrong choice? Have we totally messed up what we had built over the course of a couple of years?' It matters to Chicago. If Detroit falls 0-2, it's complete panic mode."

It was certainly not the start the Lions envisioned under new OC John Morton, who is no stranger to Detroit as a senior offensive assistant with the Lions during the 2022 season. 

Goff does not seem to be concerned, going back to a 1-6 start in Johnson's first season in 2022. Instead, Goff, who is coming off arguably the best season of his career in 2024, acknowledges that the team has "got a ton of things to work on and improve," but is "by no means worried about any of it."

The lack of explosiveness down the field in the Week 1 loss to Green Bay was eye-opening, but would be shocking to see going forward given the weapons on the Lions offense. With the addition of Micah Parsons to its already solid defense, the Packers presented a stiff test in Week 1 already, so perhaps their defense played more of a roll in the outcome than Detroit's poor offense.

According to Pro Football Focus, Goff's overall grade of 45.5 was 32nd of 33 QBs in the loss to Green Bay. While that is about as bad as it can get, a Week 2 meeting against a Bears team that struggled to move the ball and get stops defensively in the second half of its opener could be exactly what Detroit needs to bounce back.

Week 1 was far from what fans have come to expect from the Lions in recent years. With Johnson on the other sideline, we should find out a lot more about where this team is at after Sunday as it gets more accustomed to Morton's play-calling.

Colby Colwell

Colby Colwell is a freelance contributor with a bachelor’s in Computer & Information Technology and a minor in Psychology from Western Kentucky University. With a deep passion for sports, especially NASCAR, he offers his substantial knowledge along with his adept writing skills. When he’s not writing, Colby enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with his family

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