The Lions rolled into Lambeau with hype on their backs and history on their shoulders. This was supposed to be a statement by Jared Goff. A chance to bury ghosts, flex their NFC muscle, and show last year was not a one-hit wonder. Instead, the Packers slammed the door, 27 to 13, and Detroit walked off looking like the same tamed Lions.

Dan Campbell did not sugarcoat it. “We didn’t play good enough. We didn’t coach good enough, including me.” That is not coach speak. It is a knife turned inward. He pointed to his sideline, not just his roster. And the stats made his honesty sting. Green Bay went 7 for 11 on third down. Detroit went 5 for 12. The Packers ran for 126 yards. The Lions managed only 61. Campbell summed it up. “We made some critical errors at the worst times possible.”

The unraveling started fast. First quarter, Detroit punt, and Green Bay touchdown. By halftime, the Lions trailed 13 to 7, saved only by a short Jared Goff strike. But Goff’s day was hollow. 225 yards, one touchdown, one interception, four sacks. No rhythm, no bite.

The third quarter was the knockout. Green Bay opened with another touchdown, stretching it to 20 to 7. Detroit’s defense, supposedly tougher and deeper, could not land a punch. Zero sacks, zero turnovers. Aidan Hutchinson hit the quarterback twice. Jordan Love barely noticed.

By the fourth, it was over. The Packers made it 27 to 7 before Detroit tacked on a meaningless score. Time of possession tilted Green Bay’s way, 31 minutes to 29. Red zone efficiency sealed it. The Packers were perfect at 2 for 2. Lions were only 1 for 3. Ballgame!

Dan Campbell tried to frame it as a lesson. “It gives us a little barometer where we’re at game one, and that’s okay.” But he knows it is more than that. The details were sloppy. The coaching was shaky. The standard was not met. And that is why his words cut differently. “We didn’t coach good enough.” He concluded by saying, “We’re gonna take it, and we’re gonna improve.”

Detroit still has stars. They still have time. But hype does not win divisions. And history does not forgive collapses like this. Campbell is taking the bullets now. But if his staff does not answer, this season risks becoming another Lions cautionary tale.

Jared Goff gives a clear message to the locker room

The group that was supposed to carry them looked flat and predictable. Jared Goff didn’t dodge that reality. He stepped up and called it out. “Yeah, we’ll move forward fine. We will. We’ve got good players. We got good coaches. We’ll be fine. It’s just that there needs to be a urgency of improvement. You know, it has to be. And today wasn’t even close to good enough, I think, offensively. We got a lot to work a lot of work to do.”

Goff himself was efficient but toothless. He completed 31 of 39 passes for 225 yards, but that worked out to just 5.8 yards per throw. One touchdown, one interception, four sacks. No vertical shots, no rhythm, and no bite. It was check downs and stalled drives. Detroit finished 5 for 12 on third down. They went 1 for 3 in the red zone. That is not winning football.

The Packers dictated everything. Jordan Love threw only 22 passes, but two went for touchdowns. He was never sacked. The Lions looked reactive, not aggressive. Goff knew it. That is why he emphasized urgency.

The Lions entered the season as NFC North favorites, riding the wave of last year’s playoff push. That hype means every stumble feels bigger. Goff’s words weren’t for cameras. They were a warning shot to his own locker room.

Detroit still has the talent. Amon-Ra St. Brown hauled in 9 catches for 76 yards. Sam LaPorta added 7 for 69. The pieces are there. But if the offensive line lets Goff get sacked four times, if the run game keeps averaging under 3.5 a carry, then Campbell’s team is going nowhere. Goff knows it. And he’s the one demanding more.