Detroit Lions: Is there a cure for their ailing run defense?

Many fans have been clamoring for the Lions to run the ball more themselves, eat up the clock and hope a rested defense can find a way to do their job.

Yet the problem isn’t a matter of the Lions defense being tired. Matt Patricia worked them hard during the offseason so they would be one of the better-conditioned teams in the league. The problem has been the combination of not being disciplined enough to play this defense effectively and not being talented enough in the front seven to make up for mistakes.

Also, it’s not so much about the Lions own ground game when they have the ball, it’s about scoring touchdowns when they have the ball.

Sure an effective ground game featuring a talent like Kerryon Johnson in the backfield certainly makes it easier to score, but the whole point is building a lead that forces opponents to have to beat the Lions strength on defense.

And two of the best quarterbacks of all time failed to rally against this Lions pass defense to pull out victory after falling behind early this season. Whether we can believe our eyes or not, it’s true.

Unfortunately, just as true is how effectively opponents have been able to run the ball on the Lions. Despite all the work they put in during the entire offseason and training camp, this team still can’t run Matt Patricia’s scheme to even average results.

Which means that perhaps the best defense in Detroit right now is a good offense.

But in order for these Lions to make a run at the division title or even just be in the playoff race, they will have to learn to play much better run defense.

To Lions defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni’s credit, he realizes just how important that is as he told the Detroit Free Press in an interview this week.

"“On defense, we have two jobs,” Pasqualoni said. “I’ve already stated the first job, stop the run. The second thing you always, each week, find yourself saying, right after you say stop the run, is make the quarterback uncomfortable.”"

The Lions haven’t been bad at making an adverse impression on opposing quarterback this year, but that whole job number one…

This leads us to the perhaps the most important question of the season; can the Lions current personnel be effective against the run?