How the Detroit Lions can be successful on defense in 2018
By Robert Jones
Consider these high scoring offenses that couldn’t win a title. The 2013 Denver Broncos who scored the most total points in an NFL season and were shelled by an outstanding Seattle Seahawks defense in the Super Bowl. How about the 2007 undefeated New England Patriots who were stopped on their journey to greatness by a tough New York Giants defense.
The list doesn’t come close to ending there. The 2011 Green Bay Packers, 2012 New England Patriots, 1998 Minnesota Vikings, 2011 New Orleans Saints, 1983 Washington Redskins, 2000 St. Louis Rams, 2004 Indianapolis Colts are just a few of the single season highest scoring offenses in NFL history that all were unable to win a title.
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As a matter of fact the only top 10 single season scoring offense of all time to win it all was the 1999 St. Louis Rams that defeated the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV, which the Titans almost tied up on the final play as they came up just inches shy of the end zone as the clock ran out.
Shall we compare that to the stingiest single season defenses of all time?
The 2013 Seattle Seahawks, 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2000 Baltimore Ravens, 1985 Chicago Bears, 1973 Miami Dolphins and the 2015 Denver Broncos where some of the best single season defense of all time and they all celebrated by winning the Super Bowl.
Yeah, there were some really good defenses that didn’t win it all like the 1975 Los Angeles Rams,1991 Philadelphia Eagles or even the 1971 Minnesota Vikings. However, the point is made in dramatic fashion; defense wins championships.
So while Bob Quinn and new Lions head coach Matt Patricia continue to build the roster for the upcoming season, I feel the need to step back to the sentiments that Quinn made after the season ended and he sent former Lions head coach Jim Caldwell packing.
His perception was that the Lions were better than a 9-7 team. That may have been the case, but in an improved division that will feature at least two offenses that could be very good in the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings as well as an improving Chicago Bears offense, the Lions cannot expect to even equal that 9-7 record without an improved defense.