Getty Tarik Cohen scores against the Lions.
The Detroit Lions have endured a rough start to the 2019 season, and one stat has emerged which could perfectly sum up their biggest problems.
This season, it hasn’t been that the Lions haven’t had leads in games. Just the opposite, in fact. The Lions have led in every single game this season, and are one of just three teams to accomplish that feat in the NFL. The other two are two of the better squads the league has to offer right now.
Only 3 teams have had a lead in EVERY game this year:
49ers: 8-0
Chiefs: 6-4
Lions: 3-5-1
The one problem? They haven’t put games away whatsoever, and that has everything to do with their inability to close things out on the defensive side of the ball. The Lions and their defense and offense have struggled with consistency, and it’s hurt their ability to close games out.
Why the Meltdown? Lions Defense
This season, Detroit’s defense has been one of the worst in the league. Statistically, they’ve bottomed out against the run and against the pass. They haven’t pressured the quarterback, nor have they been able to force meaningful turnovers on the field. This has combined to help them lose more leads than they have been able to gain thus far in the 2019 season.
Without a solid defense, it’s hard for teams to be able to salt away games or maintain leads. So far, that’s likely been the biggest reason for the team’s failures during the season at holding leads and grabbing wins.
What Lions Can Do
Detroit needs to consider making a few changes in order to potentially spice things up on the defensive side of things. First of all, they need to consider giving some playing time to players who play hard on special teams yet do not ordinarily see the field. Jalen Reeves Maybin could fit in a role for the team’s linebacking core, which has struggled.
Additionally, as Pro Football Focus points out, the team might ponder switching up scheme and personnel in order to better leverage some situations.
Secondly, perhaps it’s time for Matt Patricia to switch things up in terms of his own scheme and calls. If Darius Slay is correct and the Lions haven’t managed to change much up which teams are catching on to, perhaps it’s time for a change in terminology.
Detroit could always make a bold move and fire defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni, but with his status as Patricia’s friend and a potential figurehead coordinator, even that might be a fruitless endeavor and something unlikely to occur.
At this point, it seems as health might be the only way for the Lions to feel better about things on the defensive side. Missing names like Tracy Walker, Slay, Mike Daniels and Da’Shawn Hand for extended times hasn’t helped whatsoever.
The Lions simply have to power through, see if they can make some in-house tweaks and hope to improve. A solid finish to 2019 could set the team up for a better 2020 year.
With stats like this lingering about, it’s hard to say if the Lions can move things in the right direction. At the very least they have been close enough so far this season, even if they have yet to put some of their biggest games away.
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