Matt Patricia’s biggest strength, Detroit Lions biggest weakness
There is no bigger indictment against Detroit Lions second-year head coach Matt Patricia then the team’s poor defensive performance so far this season.
Following the 2017 regular season, the Detroit Lions were a respectable 9-7. It was the same exact winning record from the year before, but the biggest difference was the lack of a playoff berth. That was enough to seal the fate of head coach Jim Caldwell.
Even though Caldwell led the Lions to three winning seasons during his four-year tenure, he was unceremoniously fired following the 2017 season in large part due to his lack of postseason success. He took Detroit to the playoffs twice, but they lost both times. The Lions continue to have just one postseason victory in the Super Bowl era.
But why would any team fire a winning head coach? In order to hire a better winner, obviously. Therfore, Matt Patricia enters in the picture in early 2018. Patricia was famously the defensive coordinator of the New England Patriots for six seasons, leading his squads to three Super Bowl appearances under legendary head coach Bill Belichick.
Despite Patricia’s lack of head coaching experience and the terrible track record former coaches of Belichick have had in lead roles, the Lions believed they’d landed themselves a defensive genius. After a rocky rookie season leading Detroit to a disappointing 6-10 record, the organization doubled-downed on their new defensive guru. The team feverishly pursued players to fit Patricia’s defensive scheme like defensive end Trey Flowers, cornerback Justin Coleman, linebacker Jahlani Tavai, and safety Will Harris.
The Lions even traded away a promising young safety and team captain Quandre Diggs when he apparently didn’t fit into Patricia’s plans in the long run. And when injuries started to strike the safety position immediately afterward, it seems like a bad decision.
Yet, the fruits of those moves have resulted in the Lions once again sitting in the basement of the NFC North, this time with a 3-6-1 record. Detroit has lost all three of their divisional games so far. And the fact there are five other NFC teams with eight wins or more already, it makes the odds of the Lions’ winning a Wild Card spot even more remote.
And although there have been offensive obstacles this season, including franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford missing his first two starts since 2010 due to a back injury, it’s Detroit’s defense that has been the team’s weakest link.
Following the Lions 35-27 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Detroit’s defense ranks 30th in the NFL in offensive yardage allowed at 412.8 yards per contest. They are 30th against the pass (288.6 yards per) and 23rd in rushing defense (124.2 yards per). The Lions have the 27th scoring defense in the league allowing 27.2 points per game to opposing offenses.
The Lions defense is also ranked dead last in the NFL in interceptions, recording just three picks through 10 games. They are also tied for 28th with only 20.0 total sacks on the year.
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When the Detroit Lions hired Matt Patricia as head coach last year, they thought they were getting a defensive guru. Deep into his second season, Patricia has shown to be anything but.
Both Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn deserve to be on the hot seat this offseason. But as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press recently pointed out, current defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni could be the scapegoat that grants both men another season to try and turn this sinking ship around.