Pro football is back and the Detroit Lions hope to make it a memorable 96th season in the NFL.
A league-best and franchise-best 15-2 mark one season ago ended in a thud; the Lions were eliminated at home by the Washington Commanders last January at Ford Field. No one in the organization wants that finish. All eyes are on the prize – a Super Bowl appearance next February in Northern California.
The season opens Sunday, September 7 at 4:25 p.m. in Green Bay against the Packers. CBS and Channel 62 in Detroit have the telecast. The top CBS team of Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson will be at Lambau Field. Detroit’s home opener is September 14 against the Chicago Bears, 1 p.m., Ford Field, on FOX and Channel 2 in Detroit. All Lions games are broadcast on WXYT-FM 97.1 with Dan Miller, Lomas Brown and T.J. Lang.
Entering his fifth year as Lions head coach Dan Campbell has a roster of Pro Bowl and All-pro players on offense and defense. Detroit lost their offensive coordinator Ben Johnson (Chicago) and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn (NY Jets) plus a number of other position coaches and assistants. Running the offense now is John Morton, 55, who played for Western Michigan as a wide receiver and later in the Canadian Football League and on the Green Bay and Oakland practice squads. The defense is run by coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, only 37, who coached at Louisiana Steve University before joining the Lions in 2021, first as outside linebackers coach and then linebackers coach.
GM Brad Holmes (5th season) added several new players. Quarterback Kyle Allen, receivers Isaac TeSlaa and Doiminic Lovett, offensive linemen Kingsley Eguakun, Miles Frazier, Justin Herron, Tate Ratledge and tight end Kenny Yeboah. On defense, Detroit added defensive linemen Tyler Lacy, Roy Lopez, Tyrus Wheat and Tyleik Williams; linebacker Zach and Cunningham and Grant Stuard; safeties Thomas Harper, Daniel Thomas, Daniel Jackson and cornerbacks Avonte Maddox, D.J. Reed and Rock Ya-Sin.
QB Jared Goff enters his 10th NFL season as he runs Detroit’s potent offense. He threw for 4,629 yards (second in the NFL), 37 touchdown passes (fourth in NFL) and a 65.4 QBR rating (sixth). Goff is joined in the backfield by the best 1-2 rushing tandem in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgoimery. According to ESPN research the duo are the NFL’s first running back tandem to have recorded 1,000 or more scrimmage yards and 10 scrimmage TDs twice together.
All-Everthing receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown leads the potent receiving corps. Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond, Isaac Teslaa and tight end Sam LaPorta are weapons all teams must try to contain when lacing it up against the Lions.
The offensive line is hurt by the retirement of long-time starting center Ragnow (retirement) and guard Kevin Zietler (signed by Tennessee). Graham Glasgow is the new center with rookie Tate Ratledge at guard. All-pro Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker are formidable O-line starters.
The Lions welcomed back all-pro Adian Hutchinson following his surgery and rehab in 2024 and 2025. He looks in great shape during Lions training camp and leads the charge. Campbell is exzcited to have Hutch back in the Lions’ starting lineup.
“Very excited. Can’t wait to watch him, too,” Campbell said. “He’s put in a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of hard work to get back to where he’s at right now. When you have the game taken away from you for whatever reasons, it just gives you a little extra motivation to come back. So, I’m excited to watch him. He’s going to be ready to go. He’ll be ready to go.
“I just feel like he’s improved himself even from last year. Just his ability to bend, his mechanics with his hands, his hips. There are tricks of the trade you learn along the way as you grow, and I do feel like from a flexibility standpoint, and then just continuing to hone his own skills, I think you can elevate yourself even a little bit more. I just feel like he’s done that.”
The Lions defense is one of the league’s best with strength on the line with Hutch teaching rookie Tyleik Williams the ropes, at linebacker with Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell in star roles and in the secondary where Brian Branch, Terrion Arnold, Kerby Joseph and D.J. Reed are expected to shine.
Detroit’s special teams play is again expected to be effective. Kicker Jake Bates, pinter Jack Fox, long snapper Hogan Hatten and return specialists Kalif Raymond and Khalil Dorsey.
Gone from 2024 are Abraham Beauplan, Teddy Bridgewater, John Cominsky, Carlton Davis, Antoine Green, Hendon Hooker, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Tim Patrick, Z’Darius Smith, Kindle Vidor, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Frank Ragnow, Jonah Williams and Kevin Zeitler.
The Lions are set to face the second-toughest schedule in 2025. Week and week out the club will be tested against some of the NFL’s premier clubs like Green Bay (twice), Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Los Angeles Rams, Washington, Dallas, Philadelphia and Minnesota (twice). It is game on for the Lions and a season fans hope will be a banner one for the Honolulu Blue and Silver.
Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com or @Sandgsports99 on X/Twitter. His book is available at amazon.com: Detroit’s Sports Broadcasters: On the Air
