SideLion Report
FanSided

Detroit Lions: 6 tough questions after 6 games

By Payne Schanski

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 20: Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings looks for yards during a first half run in front of Jahlani Tavai #51 of the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on October 20, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 20: Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings looks for yards during a first half run in front of Jahlani Tavai #51 of the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on October 20, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Question 4: Time to start blitzing, isn’t it?

I’m sure Paul Pasqualoni has his reasons for only blitzing 11% of the time, but the defense looks demoralized right now, and the failure to get sacks (only one in the last three games combined) must play into that. The loss to the Chiefs was explained away as getting slightly-bested by a next level superstar. One would be fully justified in pinning the Packers loss squarely on the referees. Sunday’s 42 point, 500 yard outburst by the Vikings though? Can’t spin that one as easily.

It seems half the defense went out injured at some point on Sunday; Slay, Walker, Harrison, Davis, am I missing anyone? They were missing all kinds of tackles on Dalvin Cook and turning Kirk Cousins into a first ballot Hall of Famer even before that. For the first time since early 2015, it didn’t always look like the effort was fully what it needed to be either, which is concerning.

Throwing caution to the wind and sending blitzes every time obviously isn’t going to solve anything, but opposing QBs need to at least be kept in a little fear that it could be coming. The defensive unit is hurting, literally and figuratively, and some type of spark is needed, especially since Da’Shawn Hand still hasn’t played a snap in 2019.

Question 5: Are there any logical trade scenarios out there that could offer a major boost?

A year ago, the answer was Damon Harrison. Struggling to stop the run in the first part of the season, the acquisition of ‘Snacks’ instantly improved the line and turned the Lions into one of the league’s top defenses for the final two months. Unfortunately, the offense was too far gone by that point for the trade to make much difference in the final standings.

This year’s roster seems much more balanced, and while it’s hard to pinpoint one specific spot that absolutely needs an upgrade, there are plenty of positions where the right pickup could provide a lift.

Passing on Jalen Ramsey could make for a pretty compelling alternate universe story, especially with Darius Slay’s hamstring injury flaring up again in the Vikings game. While a high risk move, adding Ramsey to the mix would have given the Lions the best secondary in the league and flipped NFC North expectations in their favor.

Since there seems to be plenty of teams tanking and likely willing to unload players for draft picks, glancing over the rosters of the winless and 1-6 teams is probably the place to start. Kenyan Drake of the Dolphins, for instance, is one name I’ve seen tied to Detroit. As it stands, who else out there on the trading block would you be excited about the Lions going after?

Home/Lions News