Detroit Lions: The best run defense in the NFL now?

After struggling against the run for a majority of the season, the addition of defensive tackle Damon Harrison has elevated the Detroit Lions defense.

When the Detroit Lions signed defensive guru Matt Patricia away from the New England Patriots this offseason to become their new head coach, the one area that figured to be instantly improved was the defense.

After several coaching and roster changes this offseason, the Lions had seemed to put together a versatile defensive group that could execute Patricia’s complicated multiple scheme. Gone were longtime veterans like linebacker Tahir Whitehead and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. And in their place, players like linebacker Devon Kennard, defensive end Romeo Okwara and rookie defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand began to shine.

Still, there was a learning curve that needed to be straightened out. And the Detroit defense had their early struggles, particularly against the run. They allowed a combined 631 rushing yards by opponents in their first four games alone.

The run defense improved slightly between Week Five and Week Nine as the defense allowed an average of 127.3 rushing yards per game in that stretch. Again, it’s just slightly better when compared to the massive 157.8 yards on the ground per contest Detroit allowed in those first four matchups.

In late October, the Lions traded away their 2109 fifth round selection to the New York Giants for All-Pro defensive tackle Damon Harrison. And the man known lovingly as “Snacks” has made all the difference.

In their past three games, the Lions have fielded the best run defense in the entire NFL. They have allowed 54, 56 and 38 rushing yards respectively to their opponents. That’s an average of only 49.3 rushing yards per contest.

According to ESPN stats, the Lions have the 19th best run defense in the league through 12 games. The top rushing defense in the NFL is actually possessed by the New Orleans Saints. But in their last three games the Saints have allowed an average of 64.6 rushing yards per contest.

Along with the presence of Harrison along the interior of their defensive line and the improving implementation of Patricia’s defensive scheme, stopping chunk plays has been key to Motown’s run-stopping resurgence. Here’s what Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press noticed when looking into the Lions’ recent success stopping opposing rushers.

"” … the Lions have plugged a leaky defense that was prone to giving up big plays. In the season’s first eight games, the Lions allowed five rushes over 40 yards. In the past three, they haven’t allowed a run longer than 10 yards.”"

Despite the Detroit Lions successfully plugging that hole in the their defense, the team still lost two of those last three games. In fact, their recent skid of losing four of their last five games has the Motor City on the brink of playoff irrelevance already. Yet, the Lions ability to fix their biggest weakness on defense midseason should bode well for them moving forward.