Detroit Lions defense must pressure quarterback Monday night
By Kellen Voss
In the midst of a 3-game losing streak, the Detroit Lions are in need of win. In order to get that win Monday Night, the defensive line needs to show up.
This Detroit Lions team could really use a win. After losing 3 winnable games to quality teams with flaws, the Lions need to avoid a 3-5 hole that they may not be able to climb out of. With a loss on Sunday, the Lions could kiss their playoff dreams good bye.
In order to keep their playoffs hopes afloat, the Lions need to beat the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau on Monday Night Football, which is no small feat in itself. For this Detroit team to accomplish that feat, the Lions need good play from this inconsistent defensive line.
The Lions are currently tied for 26th in the league with only 13 sacks so far this year. They haven’t had a sack since their week 5 loss to the Carolina Panthers, marking nearly a full calendar month since their last sack.
Injuries have played a role in the defensive line concerns. Since his Pro Bowl appearance in 2015, Defensive end Ziggy Ansah‘s career has been plagued with various ankle and knee injuries, knocking his level of play down more a few notches.
Ansah isn’t the only unhealthy Lions linemen on the roster. After the leading the team in sacks last season, defensive end Kerry Hyder was lost for the year after a torn Achilles tendon in the preseason. And future hall-of-fame defensive tackle Haloti Ngata was lost last month to a torn triceps injury that ended his season.
The Lions only have four linemen on the roster that are healthy and have recorded a sack this year: Ansah, defensive end Anthony Zettel, defensive tackle Akeem Spence and defensive tackle Jeremiah Valoaga.
This defensive line has been ravaged with injuries all year, and has been under performing with the healthy linemen they have. They are meeting the exact expectations that Pro Football Focus gave them when they predicted the Lions would have one of the worst defensive lines in football at the beginning of the year.
Despite all this, there are some signs of hope for this defensive front. The whole defense has been playing with good intensity lately, and players on the other side of the ball are finally taking notice.
"“If we could just match our defense’s intensity, we’ll be damn good,” said tight end Eric Ebron via USA Today. “We just don’t have the same drive those dudes do.”"
If there’s one thing this defensive line is good at, it’s batting down passes. The Lions are currently tied for 9th in the league in passes defended, showing a smart football IQ and quick reflexes to help out the secondary.
That intensity needs to shine through in Monday’s contest against Brett Hundley and the Green Bay Packers. The young quarterback has not played well in his first two starts this season, throwing only one touchdown and four interceptions in two losses.
It’s clear that the young gunslinger doesn’t respond well to pressure. He’s been sacked five times already this year, being the clear source of his struggles this season.
The Lions need to play like the Packers just like how their NFC north rival played them three weeks ago. The Minnesota Vikings beat the Packers 23-10 in week 6, with their four sacks and constant pressure on Hundley causing him to throw for a measly 157 yards while throwing three interceptions.
Pressure on the inexperienced passer can be the key to a Lions victory on Sunday. They need to continue showing the intensity they’ve shown late and ignore the injuries and inconsistent play that tampered them in the first half on this defensive line’s season.
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If the Lions lose this game, they’ll have lost their fourth game in a row and can basically give up on this season. In order to turn their season around, the Lions defensive line needs to finally show up and throw a party in the Green Bay backfield.