The Green Bay Packers started quickly and never looked back as they soundly defeated the Detroit Lions 27-13 at Lambeau Field. Jordan Love threw for two touchdown passes while the Green Bay defense played a physical and effective game to shut down the Lions attack. Micah Parsons had a sack in his Packers debut despite playing limited snaps. The Packers are now 1-0 on the season while the Lions are 0-1. Here are 10 things we learned from the Packers 27-13 win over the Lions in Week 1:

Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 27-13 Win Over the Lions, Number One: Packers Set the Tone Early

The Packers set the tone early and never looked back. Green Bay got the ball first and Love led the Packers on a 12-play, 68-yard drive that led to a touchdown pass to tight end Tucker Kraft.

The Packers converted three consecutive third down tries on the drive and set the tone for the game. In fact, Green Bay scored the first three times they got the ball and never trailed.

It was clear early on both sides of the ball that things were going to be different on this day than they were last year when Detroit was the more physical team and the Packers were often playing catch up.

Number Two: Parsons Impacted the Defense

Parsons only played limited snaps but still managed to impact that game. He made his first sack in a Packers uniform and also had a tackle for loss.

It was clear that the Lions feared Parsons and that helped create opportunities for the other Packers pass rushers.

Overall, the Packers sacked Jared Goff four times and recorded nine quarterback hits. Goff’s accuracy suffered as a result of the pressure and the Lions passing game was limited to short passes. The Green Bay defense did a good job of rallying to the football and kept the Lions from making big gains. In fact, the Lions had only one pass play of more than 20 yards all game.

Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 27-13 Win Over the Lions, Number Three: Defense Thrived in the Clutch

The Lions held the ball for 35:25 compared to just 24:35 for the Packers, but Detroit couldn’t get the ball into the end zone until the game was already out of reach.

The Lions were just 5-of-15 on third down opportunities in this game and were 1-of-4 in the red zone. The touchdown came in the final minute when the outcome was already decided.

Detroit’s first scoring drive 16-play drive that took 9:31 seconds off the clock, but it netted them only three points.

Jeff Hafley did a good job of scheming for the Lions offense, and the Packers defense came through when it mattered most. The result was a decisive victory.

Number Four: Packers Interior Defense Shut Down the Run

One big concern for the Packers this season was the run defense, especially after the Packers dealt Kenny Clark to the Cowboys as part of the Parsons trade. But the run defense stifled the vaunted Lions running game. For the game, Detroit ran 22 times for 46 yards, an average of just 2.1-yards per carry. They also had just one gain of more than 10 yards all game.

Jahmyr Gibbs had 19 total touches, (nine rushes and 10 pass catches) but gained just 50 yards total.

Colby Wooden quietly did a good job of helping to stop the run. He finished the game with six total tackles including two tackles for loss.

The fact that the Packers jumped to an early 10-0 lead and scored the first three times they touched the ball made things easier for the run defense. Ultimately, Hafley’s unit came through and did the job.

Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 27-13 Win Over the Lions, Number Five: The Offense Spread the Ball Around

The Green Bay passing game did a good job of spreading the ball around. In the first half, Love completed passes to nine different receivers. For the game, 10 receivers made at least one catch, but no player made more than three.

Love simply found the open man and kept the chains moving. He finished the game by completing 16-of-22 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns and had a passer rating of 128.6.

Matthew Golden made his Packers debut by catching two passes on two targets for 16 yards. Romeo Doubs had two catches, but both were 20 yards or more.

This may be receiver by committee, but it proved effective against Detroit.

Number Six: A Franchise Record Was Set

Josh Jacobs set a new Packers record by rushing for a touchdown in his ninth consecutive game dating back to last season.

Jacobs started slowly and had just eight yards on six carries in the first half. But after the break, the Packers kept feeding him the ball and he finished with 66 yards on 19 carries plus the team’s final touchdown.

Jacobs wasn’t spectacular, but he was effective enough to protect the lead, and his physical running style helped the Packers, especially in the second half.

Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 27-13 Win Over the Lions, Number Seven: Kinnard Steps Up

The Green Bay offensive line lost Zach Tom to an injury in the second half. But, recently acquired Darian Kinnard stepped into the lineup and did a solid job. In fact, Jacobs’ longest run of the game came when he was running behind Kinnard.

The Packers offensive line depth stepped up and came through when needed. Obviously, Tom’s status for Thursday night’s game against Washington will be a concern with the short week coming up.

Number Eight: The Secondary Held Up

Nate Hobbs was inactive as he continues to recover from preseason surgery, but the defense did a good job stopping the pass without him. Carrington Valentine and Keisean Nixon both played well and played physically.

Safety Evan Williams came up with a big interception in the closing minutes of the half with the Lions already in the red zone. That was a game changer as it helped the Packers hold onto a 17-3 lead at the break.

The improved pass rush helped, but the Green Bay secondary did a good job of keeping things in front of them and rallying to the football against a usually explosive Detroit offense.

Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 27-13 Win Over the Lions, Number Nine: Penalties Bailed Out a Potential Mistake

Love did not officially throw an interception, but he benefited from a key defensive holding penalty that wiped out a potential pick six. The call was correct, but it was one of two consecutive bad throws by Love. The first one should have been intercepted, and the second one was before the penalty called it back.

Love needs to clean up those moments, but fortunately, there weren’t many of them in this opening game.

Number 10: Statement Game, Short Turnaround

The Packers opened the season with a statement game against a division rival. The Lions know they cannot just take the field and be more physical than the Packers because this Packers team set the tone from the beginning.

Yes, it’s only one game and there’s plenty to work on, but the Packers never trailed and rarely seemed in danger of losing control of this contest.

The team has to prepare for another tough challenge as they host the Washington Commanders Thursday night at Lambeau Field. Beating Washington would give the Packers wins over the top seed in the NFC last year and the team that reached the NFC Championship Game. It won’t be easy, but this was a very strong start to the new season.

 

 

 

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