The Green Bay Packers are headed into Week 7 with a clear warning label attached to the Detroit Lions offense: there aren’t many places to hide.
That was the message from defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon on Tuesday, as he sized up a Detroit group that has been humming all season and has the Packers’ defense in its sights Sunday. Gannon, who spent the previous three seasons with Drew Petzing in Arizona, said the Lions’ attack comes with “no tendencies.”
“Yeah, it’s a really good offense,” Gannon said. “You know, I mean, where I just left the meeting, there’s no tendencies.
He’s creative as all get out. He uses his playmakers in a way to showcase their talents.
The quarterback does an excellent job of getting them in the right place to put you as a defense at a disadvantage. When you want to be aggressive, he burns you.
When you want to be safe, he burns you.”
Green Bay has pieced together a three-game winning streak while allowing just 34 points total, giving up 14 to Tampa Bay, seven to Chicago and 13 to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. The Packers are 4-2, but the Lions arrive at 3-2 with a far more explosive profile. Detroit is second in the NFL in scoring and fourth in total offense, and the numbers back up how relentless this group has been: the Lions have scored at least 31 points in four of five games and reached 26 in the other.
Gannon traced that identity back to head coach Dan Campbell.
“They play hard,” Gannon said. “They are tough.
They play hard. They’re physical.
That comes from the head coach and then the coordinator and then the position coaches. Hank Fraley, they’re a line coach, run game coordinator.
This whole line is souped up now. They got good players that collectively play well together.
They communicate. They never bust.
Their protection scheme is on point. And then they can run it to win and they can throw it to win.”
“We better, you know, match or exceed their play style because they bring it,” Gannon added.
The centerpiece, as usual, is Jared Goff. He enters the matchup second in the NFL with a 111.3 passer rating, along with 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Amon-Ra St. Brown has been just as dangerous, piling up 37 catches and five touchdowns even though he has played one fewer game than most of the league.
Then there’s Jahmyr Gibbs, who keeps forcing defenses to account for him on every snap. He’s averaging 149.4 scrimmage yards per game, second in the NFL behind Kenneth Walker, and he has scored in every game this season.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s faster than everybody,” Gannon said. “He has elite vision, I would say.
He can make any cut that you want. He’s got really good contact balance.
He’s stronger for not like a huge back. I think he breaks a lot of tackles.”
“Big time challenge,” Gannon added. “We always say like point of attack, you know, there’s certain plays like at the point of attack where the ball is, right? All 11 are at the point of attack when you defend this guy.”
Detroit’s offense has been lethal overall, though it has not always been spotless on third down, where the Lions rank 22nd. Still, the bigger picture is hard to miss: they are 2-0 at Ford Field this season and 20-7 there since the start of the 2023 season.
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