Getty Bailey Zappe runs around the Lions defense in 2022.
Most folks realize the Detroit Lions defense has been bad to start the 2022 season, but their poor play is on pace to be historic when all is said and done.
Detroit has one of the worst defenses in the NFL at the moment heading into their bye week, and as they continue to pile up the bad games, a new stat shows just how desperate things have become on one side of the ball.
While Detroit’s offense is allowed a down game or two, they’ve been consistent to start the year. The only thing the team’s defense has been consistent with is negativity, and allowing big plays and points.
As a result of this, the team is on pace for a catastrophic finish to the season. As Chris Malumphy of DraftHitory.com pointed out, the Lions defense could allow a horrible 578 points this year.
#Lions defense (or lack of it) is on pace to allow 578 points this season.
“Lions defense (or lack of it) is on pace to allow 578 points this season,” Malumphy tweeted.
Indeed, the Lions are on pace for a horrible year. At this point, their 170 points allowed is the worst total in the league, 16 points worse than Seattle. If the Lions did allow 578 points, it would represent the highest total in the league since the Lions themselves in 2020, a team that allowed 519 points.
Typically, teams don’t allow over 500 points in a season, and some of the worst defenses still remain between 470-490. Ironically, the 0-16 Lions in 2008 allowed 517 points, way under what this team could allow.
Being worse than the 2020 Lions and the 2008 Lions is quite a dubious accomplishment, so if the team pulls it off, it would be an all-time flop for the roster and Aaron Glenn.
This fact should be motivation for the Lions to try and improve however possible the rest of the way.
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 to help in their terrible 1-4 start.
Detroit sits 26th in pass defense through four weeks of the season, allowing 261 yards per-game on average. They have also allowed eight 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 167.6 yards per-game and an awful 10 touchdowns.
As a whole, the Lions have given up 428.6 yards per-game and sit 31st in total defense after allowing 2,143 total yards so far, good for the league’s basement.
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. Week 5 featured a small turnaround, but still wasn’t good enough. As a result, there’s a lot of numbers to be concerned about.
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.
How Lions Defense Can Find 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 the rest of the way.
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.
Detroit could also make a trade, and some have suggested that they add a defensive back in order to improve the depth of the roster.