Detroit Lions run defense must improve before they can win

After two weeks of looking pitiful against so-so teams, there is a lot that the Detroit Lions need to improve upon. Run defense should be a main focus.

What a difference a week makes for the Detroit Lions. At this time last week, Lions fans were excited to see this team improve and possibly make the playoffs. After two embarrassing losses, the playoffs should be the least of Detroit’s worries at this point.

When the 2018 schedule was first released earlier this summer, many Lions fans probably saw match-ups with the New York Jets and the San Francisco 49ers and chalked them up as wins on paper. But instead, the Lions got destroyed on Monday Night Football and couldn’t dig themselves out their own grave in California yesterday.

As depressing as the start of this season has been, a decent season is still salvageable. But in order for a turn around to happen, the Lions need to drastically improve in more ways than one.

One area that deserves to be a main focus for this improvement is the Lions run defense, as it is arguably the biggest weakness on a team that is chock full of them.

The run defense was nowhere to be found last Monday night, as the Lions allowed the New York Jets to rush for 169 total yards. Running back Isaiah Crowell, a middling back who has been on everyone’s fantasy team, looked like an All-Pro last week as he rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns, including a 62-yarder in the fourth that completely took the wind out of the Lions’ sails.

One would think that after a week to collect their thoughts and recover from the thrashing, the run defense could show some resilience and at least look competent against the San Francisco 49ers.

But alas, the exact opposite is what happened, and that horrible run defense reared it’s ugly head yet again yesterday. In a hard-fought defeat, the Lions defense that was supposed to improve under Matt Patricia looked putrid.

The run defense somehow looked worse than it did in week one, as Motor City gave up 190 total rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. San Francisco running back Matt Breida, a player who most casual football fans have never heard of, ran for 138 of those yards, including a 66-yard score that put the Lions down two touchdowns in the second half.

These two terrible performances have made the Detroit Lions look like one of the worst run defenses in the league, and they are just that statistically. As of September 16, only the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals have allowed more rushing yards per-game than the lovable losers that are the Detroit Lions.

There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it: no defense can give up 60-yard rushing touchdowns and expect to succeed. Those big plays not only look bad on the scoreboard, but they also tire out the defense while shortening the break that the offense gets from the field.

Matt Patricia, defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni and the rest of the Lions defense need to improve and do it fast. They looked like hot garbage against teams with inexperienced quarterbacks and below-average skill position players, and heading to New England for week three, things are only looking to get worse.

If changes aren’t made and an emphasis isn’t put on stopping the run, the “same old Lions” will keep doing what they do best and Patricia may be filing for unemployment come Halloween.