The Detroit Lions have the worst defense in the NFL. They are worst in almost any category that you can look at. It is daunting for head coach Dan Campbell to even find a place to start. However, he noted that the biggest issue, whether it be offense, defense, or special teams, is penalties.
“To me, the starting point is penalties, man,” said Campbell. “It’s pre-snap penalties, discipline penalties; we are putting ourselves in a bind.”
The Lions currently have 31 penalties against them, which ranks tied for tenth in the NFL. Interestingly enough, the Lions have more penalties on offense than defense. Campbell noted that the mental mistakes are the biggest issues.
Detroit has nine false start penalties this season and three delay of games.
“You need to be able to eliminate those other things,” said Campbell. “You just gave up a free five. That’s really where we got in trouble yesterday. We just kind of imploded a little bit at different times.”
It is interesting that as Campbell was asked about how to fix the defense, he mentioned a team statistic. It is fair that the offense can put the defense in tough spots at times. If the offense is not staying on schedule, the defense is not good enough to overcome it.
Still, he is taking a lot of the pressure away from the defense by blaming the penalties.
Detroit Lions Defense Absolved of Blame
It is fair that Campbell expects more from his offense than his defense. On paper, the Lions’ offensive personnel is better than their defensive personnel. Campbell admitted that for as poor as the defense played yesterday, they gave the offense the ball with a chance to win the game. The offense did not win the game.
Detroit is thin on defense. They are without former first-round pick Terrion Arnold at cornerback. At safety, starters Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are on the PUP. Even Branch’s backup, Avonte Maddox, is out for the season.
So, Campbell is expecting more from the offense to carry the team.
Lions Defense Needs More Blame
Still, some of the blame has to go to the defense. Aidan Hutchinson has 29 pressures. The three edge rushers behind him have 14 combined. Jack Campbell is having the worst year of his career at the worst time.
Beyond that, Kelvin Sheppard needs to do a better job as defensive coordinator. He is short-handed, but this is the second year the team is running his defense. There should not be this many breakdowns.
NFL defensive coordinators need to win shorthanded. That is why there are only 32 positions like that in the NFL. If he cannot win with what he has, the Lions have to try to find someone who can.
It seems as though Campbell is taking pressure away from Sheppard by shifting the attention to the offense not finishing the game and the team having too many penalties. At some point, he has to blame the defense.
Dan Campbell Reveals First Step to Fix Lions Defense