Kyle Shanahan Throws Subtle Shade at Lions’ Defense Before NFCCG

Kyle Shanahan offered some backhanded praise for the Detroit Lions‘ defense ahead of the NFC Championship game, saying they’re not as bad as the numbers would imply.

The San Francisco 49ers coach opened up on facing the Lions this weekend, pointing out their defensive deficiencies while acknowledging how they have a tendency to make big plays. The teams meet on January 28 with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, and the outcome could come down to whether the Lions are able to do enough to stop San Francisco’s multi-talented offense.

49ers Coach Shares Good and Bad of Lions Defense

Speaking to reporters this week, Shanahan pointed out that the Lions fell near the bottom of the NFL statistically on defense but stressed that they have the ability to put pressure on opponents.

“They play with their defense. They make some plays. Their whole defense, you see in numbers, and you see 31^st I think in the pass game,” Shanahan said, via SI.com. “But then when you watch the tape you kind of realize how they are. They’re aggressive in what they do. They mix everything up, which makes them susceptible to big plays.”

Shananah added that the Lions take a very aggressive approach on defense, which can be “hit or miss.” The Lions have been hitting more than missing lately, the 49ers coach said.

“But they cause more negative plays than I think anyone in the NFL,” Shanahan said. “I want to say it was fourth on the whole year. They tie right into that.”

Shanahan also said it can be difficult to scheme against the Lions due to their tendency to show a number of different looks on defense.

“They’re different almost every week,” he said. “So, you’ve kind of got to see that in the game and how they play. They’ll switch stuff up. If they get on beat on something, it’s going to be something different next time. So, the consistency is they’re going to attack and be aggressive.”

Lions Face Challenge in Stopping 49ers’ Offense

The Lions will face some difficult choices of their own when trying to stop San Francisco’s on Sunday. Lions head coach Dan Campbell said it will start with a focus on stopping running back Christian McCaffrey, but knows Shanahan will be ready to take advantage in the passing game if the Lions load up too much in front.

“Stop the run. You’ve got to stop the run,” Campbell said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “Because if you don’t they’ll rush for 250 (yards) on you and they won’t even worry about passing. Everything has to start there, and yes they are (the most explosive offense). [Kyle] Shanahan does an unbelievable job, he’s going to work one side and make you overreact and then he counters off of it and then he plays passes off of it and works the middle of the field.”

Campbell added the Lions will have their hands full in the passing game as well, led by MVP finalist Brock Purdy.

“But we have to stop this run game, it just has to start there,” he said. “As much as you can you have to try and make this team one-dimensional and that’s not easy to do.”