Lions get lofty comparison to one of the best offenses in NFL history
The Detroit Lions' offense is off to another strong start to an NFL season. Sunday's 37-24 win over the Cincinnati Bengals was just the latest explosive offensive showing by the Lions this season
Over the last three seasons under coach Dan Campbell, the Lions have had one of the most potent and high-scoring offenses in the NFL. A current stat to start this season has put the Lions offense in company with one of the best offensive teams in NFL history.
Through five games this season, the Lions lead the NFL in touchdowns with 22 scored. Of those 22 touchdowns that have been scored, 13 have been passing, eight rushing, and one punt return score.
The only other team in NFL history to produce those touchdown totals through five games to start a season was the 2000 St. Louis Rams, also known as "The Greatest Show on Turf." The team featured two NFL Hall of Famers, including quarterback Kurt Warner, running back Marshall Faulk, along with wide receivers Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Az-Zahir Hakim, and Ricky Proehl.
Lions offense in company with the "Greatest Show on Turf"
The @Lions lead the @NFL with 22 TDs scored in 2025, producing 13 passing TDs, 8 rushing TDs and 1 punt return TD.
The only other team in #NFL history to produce those TD totals through the first five games of any season was the 2000 Rams.#OnePride pic.twitter.com/fQQMIRZ37Z
— Detroit Lions PR (@LionsPR)
The Rams recorded the offensive start that the Lions did, fresh off winning Super Bowl 34, 23-16 over the Tennessee Titans. St. Louis would finish the 2000 season losing 31-28 to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card round. Obviously, the Lions would like to avoid the same fate the 2000 Rams did and go all the way to the Super Bowl.
Lions offensive leaders during hot start to 2025 season
Jared Goff is currently ninth in the NFL in passing with 1,187 yards, 12 touchdowns, and two interceptions. One of the 13 touchdown passes thrown this season by the Lions came on Sunday by running back David Montgomery, who threw a 3-yard pass to Brock Wright for a score in the win over the Bengals.
Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown leads the team in receiving with 407 yards and six touchdowns. Of the Lions' eight rushing touchdowns through five games this season, four have been scored by running back Jahmyr Gibbs, along with Montgomery scoring two. Gibbs leads the Lions in rushing with 325 yards on the season.
Wide receiver Kalif Raymond has the Lions' one punt return touchdown this season, which came in the 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns in week 4.
Lions look to upset the Chiefs again
The Lions look to keep their success going on offense in week 6 as they travel to Arrowhead Stadium to face off against Patrick Mahomes and the reigning AFC Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
With the Chiefs a slight favorite over the Lions, it presents the perfect opportunity for Detroit to once again prove the doubters wrong and upset Kansas City once again
Lions Get Unexpectedly Good News on Injured CB Terrion Arnold
This month was shaping up as a tough stretch for the Detroit Lions‘ secondary until the injury-plagued unit got a bit of good news on Tuesday, October 7.
Starting cornerback Terrion Arnold hurt his shoulder during the third quarter of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5, leaving the field on a cart. Detroit ultimately ruled him out for the afternoon and the update during Monday’s media availability was even worse.
“Unfortunately, he’s going to be out for a while,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters. “He’s going to be out for a long time.”
That framing of the injury served as a strong indication that Arnold was bound for the injured reserve list (IR), where fellow starting cornerback D.J. Reed currently resides due to a hamstring issue. However, a second opinion shone a ray of optimism on Arnold’s potential return timeline, leaving it far rosier than the picture Campbell painted the day prior.
A second opinion on Lions CB Terrion Arnold’s shoulder today revealed the injury is not as bad as feared and he now is expected to return, as one source described, “sooner than expected”, quite possibly this month.
pic.twitter.com/Edms1W6fMT— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 7, 2025
A second opinion on Lions CB Terrion Arnold’s shoulder today revealed the injury is not as bad as feared and he now is expected to return, as one source described, ‘sooner than expected,’ quite possibly this month,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported via X.
Detroit won’t need to use one of its IR designations on Arnold if his prognosis has him back in the lineup at some point within the next three games. Sending a player to IR guarantees he will miss at least four weeks.
Terrion Arnold Has Struggled in 2nd NFL Season, but Played Well Against Bengals Prior to Injury
GettyDetroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold.
A first-round pick of the Lions in the 2024 NFL draft, Arnold hasn’t had a particularly strong year through five games.
Pro Football Focus ranks him as the 132nd-best cornerback out of 169 qualifying players at the position through Week 5. That said, his pass rush grade has improved slightly, though that isn’t a huge part of what the team asks him to do. And Arnold’s run defense grade has improved dramatically from his rookie year, up nearly 14 points based on PFF’s proprietary grading scale.
But Arnold’s coverage grade is down from his rookie campaign, when it was already far from stellar. As a result, his overall player grade is also slightly lower than it was when he finished 15th in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2024.
Still, Campbell spoke highly of the effort and overall play of Arnold against the Bengals on Sunday.
“He was very competitive,” Campbell said. “I thought he was calm. I thought he was cool. And I thought it was one of the better games he has played in a while. Thought he was pretty good. We put a lot on him, and I thought he answered the bell.”
Lions Will Face 2 Tough Opponents in Chiefs, Buccaneers Without D.J. Reed and Likely Without Terrion Arnold
GettyDetroit Lions cornerback D.J. Reed.
Part of the reason so much was on Arnold was the absence of Reed. And while he is on IR, that outcome actually proved better than what Reed initially though was going to be his situation following a severe hamstring strain against the Cleveland Browns in Week 4.
Like Arnold, Reed also left the field on a cart, which is almost always a terrible sign of the ensuing update.
“Reed didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice but was spotted in the locker room without a boot or brace on his injured leg,” Eric Woodyard of ESPN reported October 1. “He said he thought he tore a hamstring off the bone, ‘but that’s not the case, thank God. I thought it was a wrap.'”
It is a guarantee that Reed won’t be back next week against the Kansas City Chiefs, and it still sounds highly unlikely Arnold will be ready in time for that contest. The Lions then face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on “Monday Night Football” on October 20 before their bye the following week.
