Pride of Detroit
The NFL’s list of most disappointing Week 1 teams includes the Dolphins, Texans, Bengals, and Lions. And that pitiful display in Green Bay may have been the worst by any NFC squad. It was a nightmare start to life after Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, with national pundits’ preseason skepticism about the Lions looking prescient.
Sure, last year’s Super Bowl-winning Eagles lost to the Falcons in Week 2. The 2023 defending and eventual repeat champion Chiefs dropped their opener to this very Lions team. But this felt different. Detroit was demoralized in ways they hadn’t been since before their late-season run in 2022. This was a no-show on par with the 38-6 Ravens debacle in 2023—and worse than either playoff exit.
To put the loss into perspective, Detroit’s 3.8 yards per play were the second-lowest of the Dan Campbell era (only worse: 3.74 in a 34-11 loss to the Bengals in 2021). Their 22.7% rushing success rate was the second-lowest since 2021 (only worse: 13.3% in the 2022 loss to Carolina).
It was uncharacteristically inept, but it shouldn’t define the season. A rebound in the Ben Johnson Homecoming can change the narrative fast. But first, let’s rehash Week 1 in the inaugural Stock Report
Stock up: Jack Campbell, LB
Year 3 Jack Campbell looked like Detroit’s best back-seven defender. He led the team with nine tackles, consistently met Josh Jacobs at or near the line of scrimmage, and brought real pop against the run. Even more encouraging: Campbell’s strides in coverage. He forced incompletions step-for-step against tight ends and slammed John FitzPatrick to the turf like a drained can of Pabst Blue Ribbon on one short gain.
The one glaring hole remains his blitzing. Campbell was repeatedly sent through the A-gap but couldn’t generate pressure, continuing a career-long issue.
Stock down: Interior offensive line
The new trio of Christian Mahogany, Graham Glasgow, and Tate Ratledge was a disaster. Physically overmatched, mentally out of sync, and shredded by stunts. They looked like matadors eluding bulls.
Even Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker are not immune to this stock report, as they also struggled. Hank Fraley has a lot to clean up here.
Stock up: Tyleik Williams, DT
Williams didn’t flash as a pass rusher—somewhat expected in his debut—but he clogged lanes, ate double-teams, and stood up Aaron Banks and Sean Rhyan on multiple occasions. That helped hold Jacobs to just 30 yards on 11 carries through three quarters. His stout presence freed second-level defenders to attack downhill, making Green Bay one-dimensional for stretches (something they navigated just fine).
Stock down: Aidan Hutchinson, DE
Fair note: this was Hutchinson’s first game back from a significant leg injury. He’ll likely look stronger in October than September.
But this wasn’t the performance of a $50M man. Hutchinson was locked down by Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom, faded as the game wore on, and even struggled against Green Bay’s backups late. Detroit’s pass rush was invisible, and that falls on their star. The team’s kicker, back-up...
