How the Detroit Lions could address their major weakness
The Detroit Lions advanced to the NFC Championship Game in 2023 after winning the NFC North with a 12-5 record, but they did so in spite of a glaring weakness: their pass defense. Detroit gave up an average of 311.3 yards per game in their three postseason games, while the Lions allowed 247.4 yards per game passing (twentieth in the league). In addition, Detroit gave up six touchdown passes in the postseason and 32 touchdown passes in the regular season (also a 27th rank). Among the final four teams, the playoff touchdown passes were by far the most that were allowed. The Baltimore Ravens gave up one touchdown pass in the postseason, while the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, who played in the Super Bowl, each gave up three.
A large portion of Detroit’s pass-blocking inefficiencies were caused by poor cornerback play and premature mistakes at free safety. But matters were made considerably worse by the absence of a potent pass rush. The second most reliable pressure, behind Pro Bowl edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (11.5 sacks in 2023), came from safety and cornerback blitzes. Someone who hasn’t played consistently for Detroit since 2022 may have some insight into the pass-rush problem. James Houston, an outside linebacker, was selected in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft (217th overall), however he didn’t enter the starting lineup until halfway through the campaign. In the previous seven games, he had eight sacks.
But Houston missed the rest of the regular season after breaking their ankle in the second game of the previous campaign. He came back to play against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. Marcus Davenport was a free agent when he joined with the Lions this summer from the Minnesota Vikings. Davenport played for the New Orleans Saints, thus he has ties to both defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Detroit coach Dan Campbell. In 2021, Davenport, 27, has nine sacks while playing for the Saints. In the spring, the Lions also signed edge rusher Mathieu Betts to a reserve/futures contract. Betts was named the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player following his 18 sacks for the BC Lions in the previous season. At 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, Betts was a little small and wasn’t selected in theLatu, who boasts a 40-yard sprint time of 4.64 seconds, nearly had his career stopped by a neck injury, but he made it through the NFL Scouting Combine medicals. This past season, he recorded 21.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks, which earned him the Ted Hendricks Award (best DE) and the Lombardi Award (top OL/DL). Chop Robinson (6-foot-3, 254 pounds, 4.48 in 40), who recorded 17.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks over the last two seasons, has not produced at the same level as he is athletically gifted. Additionally, Darius Robinson (6-foot-5, 285 pounds, 4.95 in 40) moved outside last season after starting the previous season as a defensive tackle and had excellent results (8.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss). His versatility as a player is a huge asset. or Alternatively, the Lions might select a sleeper choice in a later round that enhances their pass rush.