After watching the film of the Lions' offense last Sunday in Green Bay, Penei Sewell had one reaction: "Poor."
"Poor play by our standard," he said. "It’s an emphasis and an urgency to get better, so that’s what we’re working on."
The Lions had one of their worst offensive performances of the Dan Campbell era in their 27-13 loss to the Packers, especially on the ground. Behind a new-look offensive line and a new coordinator in John Morton calling plays, they averaged just 2.1 yards per carry. Sewell said their inability to run the ball was especially "frustrating just because we know who we are and what we want to be."
"And personally," said Sewell, "I prefer going forward than backward. But we have 16 more opportunities to bounce back and prove ourselves right."
That starts Sunday against the Bears. The offensive line will be happy to be at home. With two new guards in Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany and a former guard at center in Graham Glasgow, the unit struggled to communicate in the silent count at Lambeau Field. It was also overburdened with play calls at times, all while trying to handle the Packers' dominant defensive front. Even some of the veterans made the wrong calls, said Morton.
"It’s being addressed," he said. "It’s being fixed."
For one, the Lions plan to trim the offense a bit on Sunday and table some of the more complex plays and checks. That should help them get off the ball cleanly and avoid the missed assignments that plagued them in Green Bay. It will also help to be back in the comfortable confines of Ford Field where everyone can communicate verbally at the line.
"The bottom line is, this is about execution and the details of everything and then taking (on) a little bit less so that guys are playing a little bit faster and everybody knows exactly what to do," said Morton.
Left tackle Taylor Decker missed practice Wednesday due to a shoulder injury, but Morton said Thursday that the Lions "are totally expecting Decker to play." The All-Pro on the other end of the line is confident in the group responding and controlling the game because that's the standard in their room.
"It’s Week 1 with a new team," said Sewell. "We got young guys as part of the five up front, but the other three, we know what it looks like and it’s our job to bring along the other two."
The loss in Green Bay was ugly, but the Lions have a chance to make things right at home against another division rival.
"The best thing about that," said Morton, "is that it was the first game of the season. Nobody’s in panic mode."