Detroit Lions defense much different than the one Davante Adams exposed

Davante Adams exposed the Detroit Lions’ coverage schemes in an interview with Brian Baldinger

When the Green Bay Packers played the Detroit Lions last season in Week 6 and Week 17, Packers star wide receiver Davante Adams did quite well. Although he was injured during their Week 6 matchup, in the last game of the season, Adams caught seven passes for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Of all the games Adams appeared in the 2019 season, he was probably looking forward to playing the Lions the most for a multitude of reasons. One of those reasons is because as a longtime member of the Packers, the games against their divisional rival Lions is always a game that both teams give it their all.

Another reason a Packers/Lions matchup is probably one that Adams looks forward to is that he has the potential to put up good numbers. As he’s one of the better wideouts in the game and the struggles of the Lions secondary not being a secret, it’s a great opportunity for him to put up good numbers.

In regards to their Week 17 matchup, it wasn’t necessarily a game where Adams simply had a good week. In fact, he may have gotten help from his instincts and football smarts. Why you ask? Adams revealed that he could tell how the Lions’ defense was set up when he was on the field as revealed in an NFL film session which you can watch at the NFL’s official YouTube channel.

In case you don’t have the time to watch the whole video, below is a tweet that points out a specific part of the film session with NFL analyst Brian Baldinger …

This is problematic, especially coming from a star wideout who’s on a team that’s a divisional rival. The fact that Adams knew how the Lions’ defense was positioned, it gave him a competitive advantage to gain yardage.

As most know, the Lions’ secondary struggled mightily last season. In 2019, the Lions set up in man coverage 336 times, the most of any team. It resulted in 23 touchdowns but only three interceptions.

As teams around the league discovered the Lions’ struggles in the secondary, there’s no secret that opposing offensive coordinators went to the air more to move the ball up the field. This can be evidenced by the fact that the Lions gave up the most throwing yards of any team last season with 4,551.

Detroit Lions made significant changes to their defense this offseason

As the Lions traded star cornerback Darius Slay to the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the draft, they prioritized having a new cornerback duo by signing Desmond Trufant and drafting Jeff Okudah third overall.

At Ohio State, Okudah was a shutdown cornerback that quarterbacks activity avoided. The Lions are hoping that his success on the college level can translate to the pros. While Trufant has only been selected to one Pro Bowl back in 2015, he did record a career-high four interceptions last season and should be able to pair nicely with Okudah.

Not only did the front office focus on upgrading the cornerbacks, they focused on improving the defense as a whole. They brought in a new defensive coordinator in Cory Undlin and brought in multiple versatile defenders.

The front office is hoping that by bringing Undlin aboard, who was the former defensive back coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, will not only bring a fresh defensive perspective but will improve how the Lions’ defense play as a whole.

With a fresh cornerback pairing, new defensive players, and a different defensive coordinator setting up how the defense will be positioned, the Detroit Lions are hoping that an improved defense will result in success and wins on the field.