Getty Kerby Joseph struggles to tackle DK Metcalf in 2022.
The Detroit Lions have struggled on defense, and their problems have been so epic it is leading folks to take a hard look at the team.
Detroit has the best offense in football so far this season, but the worst defense. It’s a dichotomy that is simply too wild for some to ignore amid the NFL history it is making, which is what ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky pointed out.
It might be too hard for some Lions fans to think about, but if the Lions were simply bad on defense instead of historically awful, they might have one of the NFL’s best records at this point of the season.
If the Lions had a bad defense they’d be 3-1
“If the Lions had a bad defense they’d be 3-1,” Orlovsky tweeted.
It’s hard to refute that point from Orlovsky. A slightly better defense would have won the games against Minnesota and Seattle. Philadelphia is a strong team, so Detroit most likely would still have lost that game even with a marginally better defense.
Instead of demanding perfection, fans should realize Orlovsky is correct. If the Lions could get just a tiny bit better and elevate themselves from awful to bad, it might mean the ability to win more than a few more games.
So far, all the Lions can do is learn from this experience and try to apply it for the future.
Lions Defense Has Awful 2022 Stats
Currently, the Lions have offered little resistance on the back end or up front. The team has some awful statistics in terms of defense to start the year in spite of an average 1-3 start
Detroit sits 30th in pass defense through four weeks of the season, allowing 279.3 yards per-game on average. They have also allowed seven touchdowns this year, and have a long catch allowed of 54 total yards. The Lions are also ranked 30th in rush defense so far this season, allowing 165.5 yards per-game and an awful 10 touchdowns.
As a whole, the Lions have given up 448 yards per-game and sit 32nd in total defense after allowing 1,779 total yards so far, good for dead last in the league.
Naturally, these numbers are more than a bit alarming early on for the Lions. They did play one of the NFL’s best offenses in Week 1 and were pitching a shutout until letting up a big in the second-half of Week 2 and Week 3. Week 4, they offered no resistance. As a result, there’s a lot of numbers to be concerned about, pointing to a need for a turnaround.
Somehow, the Lions have to find a way to be average to bad on defense instead of historically horrible. If they find a way to do that, they might be able to turn around their season.
Lions Defense Still Has Chance for Turnaround
Even though the team has been miserable so far this year to start things off, there is still an opportunity for the Lions to turn things around.
Injuries have played a big role for the team to start the season, and the Lions have gone without the likes of edge Romeo Okwara, defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike, rookie lineman Josh Paschal and cornerback Jerry Jacobs. Getting any of those players healthy midseason could mean the team’s depth improves, allowing players to grow.
During the rest of the season, the Lions will also play some teams that do not feature a very prolific offense. The Patriots, Cowboys, Giants, Jaguars, Panthers, Vikings and Bears don’t represent the toast of the league so far on offense, and are middle-of-the-pack teams. Skeptics will say that didn’t matter in the case of Seattle, though, which is a fair point.
In terms of a fix, when Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn put their heads together, they might only need to realize that finding a way to get just a little bit better could help provide them the inches they need this year.