The Detroit Lions' offensive line woes were well documented throughout the 2025 NFL season.
While Detroit finished with the No. 5 total offense (373.2 yards per game) and scoring offense (28.3 points per game), the Lions ranked just 14th in rushing offense, averaging 120.1 rushing yards per game. For a backfield featuring Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, that's not good enough.
The failure of the offensive line and run game in key spots wasn't in line with who the Lions pride themselves on being.
Though Detroit's passing offense ranked third (253.1 passing yards per game) and Jared Goff ranked second in the NFL with 4,564 passing yards, other numbers illustrate the failures that the Lions had in the passing game. And, you guessed it, those failures were up front.
In Matt Okada's look at the highest priority fix for every NFC team on NFL.com, Okada writes that the Lions need to "solidify the offensive line."
Okada's look at some of the analytics further illustrate his point.
The Lions finished 2025 with a disappointing 9-8 record and a postseason on the couch after two years atop the NFC North. And while there were a number of small compounding issues, we’re going to focus on the offensive line. During the 2025 offseason, Detroit lost guard Kevin Zeitler (to free agency) and center Frank Ragnow (to retirement). Between the scramble to revamp and injuries throughout the season, they ended up fielding 13 different offensive linemen (tied for the most in the league) with 11 different starters (tied for second-most behind the Chargers) — and neither Christian Mahogany or Graham Glasgow played up to snuff filling Zeitler’s and Ragnow’s shoes. As a result, Detroit’s -81.1 sack EPA in 2025 was their worst as a team since 2017, per NFL Pro. If they want to bounce back in 2026, they’ll need better personnel or better play on the O-line, especially on the inside. (And it never hurts to stay healthy.) - Matt Okada, NFL.com
So, what does all that mean?
It's a fancy way to say some of what Lions fans already know: Detroit didn't have an adequate answer at center to replace Frank Ragnow after his retirement. And Christian Mahogany wasn't great on the interior either.
But, the -81.1 sack EPA was Detroit's worst in that category since 2017. EPA stands for "expected points added." Basically, the Lions' 39 sacks surrendered cost Detroit more points in 2025 than in any other season since 2017. Again, probably not totally shocking, but it does illustrate the failures by Detroit in key moments up front.
With the 2026 NFL scouting combine taking place this week, Lions fans can expect to see Detroit linked to some of the top offensive linemen as the Lions look to retool their offensive line and return to the franchise's bread and butter under head coach Dan Campbell.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Detroit Lions registered worst since 2017 in NFL Pro stat