Getty Curtis Samuel makes a catch past DeShon Elliott and the Lions defense.
While the Detroit Lions are enjoying a solid start to the year, the team has been far from perfect, something most coaches, players and fans could all admit.
So far, Detroit’s offense has clicked in a big way. Even though that is the case, the team has still left more than its fair share of points on the field. Defensively, there’s been some issues the team has had in terms of coverage, as well.
Though the Lions are 1-1 and currently in the thick of things early in the season, there is still a path to improvement that will help them be more consistent, and it’s on the second level of the defense.
Recently, ESPN’s Eric Woodyard helped in power ranking the Lions for Week 2. While the team moved up considerably in the standings seven places, Woodyard still sees the chance for improvement on the defensive end in the secondary.
As he wrote, the deep ball situation is one to watch in coming weeks for an improvement.
“Detroit’s secondary has some “work to do” to get more disciplined, according to head coach Dan Campbell. Cornerback Jeff Okudah has been solid while coming back from an Achilles injury, but the unit is still working on not getting beat on deep balls, which have been an issue in Weeks 1 and 2 against Philadelphia and Washington. Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown had 10 receptions for 155 yards — including a 55-yard catch — against the Lions in the opener,” Woodyard said in the piece.
An improvement on the back end is very important for the Lions indeed, because the team will be set to play some menacing receivers in coming weeks. Week 3 will see them tested by Justin Jefferson, while Week 4 will bring DK Metcalf. Add it up and there are some definite tests coming for the team.
Detroit would do well to solve these problems sooner rather than later, and if they can, it will help their entire defense to be better.
Lions Defense Struggling Against Pass
Currently, the Lions have offered little resistance on the back end. The team has some ugly statistics in terms of pass defense to start the year in spite of a decent start.
Detroit sits 27th in pass defense through two weeks of the season, allowing 273.5 yards per-game on average. They have also allowed three touchdowns this year, and have a long catch allowed of 54 total yards. The Lions have allowed a total of 547 total yards in a pair of games.
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. Still, there’s a lot of numbers to be concerned about, pointing to a need for a turnaround.
Detroit’s Secondary Also Stepping up Early in 2022
In spite of some of the numbers as well as the play, the Lions deserve credit for sticking together on the back end and being scrappy.
Thus far, Detroit has only one interception, but the team has banded together well amid some key injuries for the group. Detroit is still missing 2021 rookie phenom Jerry Jacobs who is coming back off injury. Additionally, the Lions missed stud cornerback Amani Oruwariye in Week 2, who was the victim of a mid-week injury.
Even though the Lions have been put through the ringer early on, they’ve seen some solid play on the back end. Jeff Okudah has been an early season revelation for the Lions, and the depth has shown up as well, with much-maligned Will Harris nabbing an interception in Week 2.
In spite of this, the Lions know they have to be more consistent and limit the big plays. If they are able to get this in check, it might only serve to make the team way more dangerous in the end.