Defense missing in action
It was the one thing we all thought we could hang our hats on; the Lions defense. After a much improved second half of last season, the defense has failed to carry any momentum forward into this year and the defensive line has been the most disappointing unit on the team by far. The linebackers haven’t been consistent, and the secondary which began the year playing well has started to come back down to earth.
One can and should wonder just what has happened. Sure injuries have been a factor and subpar seasons by Damon ‘Snacks’ Harrison and Jarrad Davis haven’t helped. Especially against the run.
But Romeo Okwara hasn’t been able to build upon what he accomplished last season, Trey Flowers isn’t playing to the level of his contract, Da’Shawn Hand just returned from injury two weeks ago and the big training camp signing of Mike Daniels hasn’t panned out. Even on the rare occasion he was actually on the field.
When you consider that the Lions defense has given up 31.2 points a game over the last five, it’s actually kind of amazing that they were able to win one of those games.
The defense wasn’t spectacular over the course of the first three games of the season, but they were serviceable. They played well enough to give the Lions a chance to win those games, even though their fourth-quarter meltdown in the opener against the Cardinals fueled Arizona’s comeback.
Yet as the season has worn on, the defense seems to have worn out. The fact that they haven’t played defense anywhere near as well as they did down the stretch of last season, even with multiple offseason additions that either fit this defense or have experience playing in it, has to be disturbing.
It also leaves the collective fanbase wondering if the players are at fault for just not being able to run it, or if there is a disconnect in what Matt Patricia and defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni are teaching their defenders.
Wherever the issue lies, the defense is the problem that has put the whole season in jeopardy. This defensive scheme that is built upon the principle of bending but not breaking is now broken.