There was no way around it. Not after a terrible Sunday night performance in primetime and an awful first quarter of the season. The Detroit Lions had to improve their pass defense and quickly or the 2026 campaign could slip away.
On Sunday, at least for one week, the Lions did that.
Detroit held the Arizona Cardinals to 5.1 yards per pass in their Week 5 matchup. The team’s coverage was much better, which led to five sacks and an interception.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell singled out the team’s pass defense when asked in his postgame press conference about what stood out the most on that side of the ball versus the Cardinals.
“I just love the pass defense. I almost threw an F-bomb there,” Campbell told reporters. “The PDs, man. We got our hands on some footballs. We knocked some footballs down. I didn’t feel like we were stressed. That’s good to see.
“I thought Roger [McCreary] wasn’t perfect, but I thought Roger, man, really played some sticky coverage today, and I thought [D.J.] Reed played some sticky coverage, that was just good to see us challenge some footballs on the back end and work in unison.”
The Lions registered nine pass defenses, which was more than what the team’s defense had in the first four games of this season combined. Roger McCreary had six pass defenses all alone. He’s only ever had more than that in an entire season once, which was during his rookie campaign in 2022.
Lions’ Dan Campbell Raves About Pass Coverage vs. Cardinals
It’s important to note that the opponent Sunday for the Lions defense wasn’t nearly as tough. Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett accumulated a lot of passing yards last season but that was behind Arizona leading the NFL in pass attempts.
Brissett is not Josh Allen or Bryce Young — the two quarterbacks who defeated the Lions defense while embarrassing it this season.
But the Lions pass defense had to start somewhere, and with the way the secondary was playing, Detroit fans probably wouldn’t have been surprised if it struggled even versus Brissett.
The Lions defense showed a lot of positive signs. The unit held the Cardinals to only one touchdown until the team held a 24-point lead in the third quarter.
The veterans the Lions needed to play better for the secondary improved. That was the two veterans Campbell referenced in his postgame press conference — McCreary and D.J. Reed.
Detroit can now feel good about its defense entering the bye. The Lions may also be closer to getting back their two star safeties — Brian Branch and Kaleb Joseph. During Sunday’s win, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler provided a positive update on those two players.
Campbell suggested Branch was close to returning during his postgame presser. The head coach didn’t mention Joseph.
After the bye, the Lions will face the Green Bay Packers. It will be the first of two consecutive home games against division opponents. The Lions will need their pass defense to continue improving to have success during the upcoming crucial stretch.
Lions’ Dan Campbell Issues Strong Message on Pass Defense After Beating Cardinals