Packers offense vs Lions defense: Scouting report, keys to success for Green Bay offense

With the Green Bay Packers' season opener against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field just days away, the players and matchups that could decide the game one way or another are coming into focus.

Here are three keys to the game when the Packers are on offense on Sunday:

Packers receivers vs. corners other than D.J. Reed

The Lions made a free agency splash bringing Reed over from the Jets on a three-year, $48 million deal this offseason. They needed the help at the time, and Reed’s presence has become even more important of late with Ennis Rakestraw Jr., a second-round pick in 2024, out for the year.

That means the other cornerbacks behind Reed are former first-rounder Terrion Arnold, who was one of the worst corners in the league as a rookie, and journeyman corners Avonte Maddox, Amik Robertson and Rock Ya-Sin.

Reed will be a nuisance for whoever he covers, but this is where Green Bay’s depth at receiver -- providing the likes of Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks are ready to go as they come back from injury -- should come into play.

Between Reed, Wicks, Romeo Doubs and Matthew Golden, as well as tight ends Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave, the Packers should have a favorable matchup somewhere on the field at any given time. The benefits of Green Bay’s equal opportunity offense could come to life on Sunday.

Aidan Hutchinson

The Packers avoided playing Hutchinson, one of the league’s top pass rushers, in both matchups with the Lions last year due to his season-ending injury, but Detroit will have their best defensive player back on the field to start the 2025 season.

Green Bay’s projected starting tackles, Zach Tom and Rasheed Walker, have shown they can more than hold their own against premier edge rushers, and they will need to bring their A-game in week one against Hutchinson.

Fortunately for the Packers, Alim McNeill, the Lions’ best interior defender, is out for Sunday’s game as he remains on the PUP list, while Levi Onwuzurike has already been lost for the year.

That means Green Bay will see some combination of first-round rookie Tyleik Williams, DJ Reader and Roy Lopez, which is considerably less fearsome than if McNeill and Onwuzurike were available. The EDGE options opposite Hutchinson are not exactly lethal either.

In the games against the Lions last year, Tom and Walker, as well as Elgton Jenkins – now at center – held up well in pass pro, but Sean Rhyan, potentially the starting right guard entering 2025, struggled quite a bit, while the now departed Josh Myers was disastrous at times.

Jordan Morgan, last year’s first-round pick, is an X-factor for Green Bay. After a strong summer, he could crack the starting lineup at multiple spots, while the Packers will expect big-money free agent signing Aaron Banks to also help solidify the interior.

With Hutchinson the lone star of Detroit’s front, Green Bay will probably look to double team or chip the edge rusher throughout, while expecting the rest of their offensive line to look after themselves and hold up against the Lions’ other, more mortal defensive linemen.

Unscouted looks

After Aaron Glenn left Detroit to become the head coach of the New York Jets, the Lions have a new defensive coordinator in Kelvin Sheppard. That means the Packers are likely to see even more unscouted looks on offense than usual for a week one game.

Glenn did a terrific job with Detroit’s defense, even when undermanned, so there could well be a falloff in 2025, but Sheppard has been in the Lions organization in various roles since 2021, and has seemingly been groomed to take over from Glenn.

Detroit still has talent all over their defense, with Hutchinson and McNeill up front, a solid trio of linebackers in Jack Campbell, Alex Anzalone and Malcolm Rodriguez, and two top quality safeties in Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph.

With plenty of talent to weaponize, it will be interesting to see what the Lions throw at the Packers offense on Sunday, and how Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love handle and adjust to the unscouted looks could go a long way to determining how successful Green Bay’s offense is.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers offense vs Lions defense: Keys to success for Green Bay