The Detroit Lions, as it stands now, have the worst defense in the NFL.
The unit was absolutely dominated by the Carolina Panthers in a 32-26 loss on Sunday Night Football. Quarterback Bryce Young threw for 329 yards and two scores, running back Chuba Hubbard ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns, and wideout Tetaroia McMillan was unguardable, catching 14 passes for 192 yards and both of Young's touchdowns.
"I know there's frustration," head coach Dan Campbell said. "Look, I'm frustrated. I know the players are frustrated. But it's also, you're a few plays away, a few penalties away."
Detroit's defense is in the basement of the league in just about every metric.
No team has allowed more yards or points than the Lions this season. They've surrendered the most passing yards and the 11th-most rushing yards in the NFL.
Detroit's 43.67 defensive EPA is the worst in the NFL, and they are fifth-worst in defensive success rate, per Sumer Sports. According to The Athletic, the Lions have allowed both the highest explosive pass rate and explosive run rate in football. They have allowed touchdowns on 40.5 percent of possessions, also the worst rate in football.
Do you get the point yet?
The stat sheet backs up what we've seen on tape. The defense is prone to coverage busts, blown assignments, and blitzes that don't get there in time. Detroit's corners have been a liability in coverage, and the linebackers are out of position against the run and get carved up through the air. The Panthers were able to spam RPOs against them on Sunday night and reap the benefits.
Kelvin Sheppard has tried everything to turn the Lions' defense around
The fact that the Lions are second in the NFL in sacks and rank among the top of the league in fastest time-to-pressure, but are still this poor statistically, speaks volumes about the secondary. The coverage has been so bad, it doesn't matter that their pass rush has been statistically elite.
Detroit tried lots of different things Sunday night. They blitzed, they sent four rushers, they ran zone coverage, they ran man coverage. Nothing worked.
Criticism of defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard is mounting fast. Fans and pundits are always going to blame the coaching in a situation like this. That idea of a quick fix, where the team just needs to fire one coach and things will turn around, is tantalizing. It's how a lot of people view the game.
But at what point do we start to reckon with the fact that the Lions' players, particularly on the back end, just aren't good enough, and no coordinator is going to make them so? Is someone like Jim Schwartz, or, heck, Bill Belichick plucked straight from 2004, going to save this defense?
Probably not. Because that isn't how it works when you have poor personnel.
"It's not a coaching thing, it's a players thing. This game comes down to winning one-on-ones, and that's what we've got to do as a whole collective unit in the secondary. We haven't been doing that," cornerback DJ Reed said. "So, we've just got to be better."
Detroit has halved its man coverage rate this season, going from an average of 32.1 percent from 2021-25 to 15.6 percent this season. But zone coverage hasn't worked well for this team, and they've looked even worse trusting their corners to cover receivers man-to-man.
Why firing Kelvin Sheppard isn't the solution to Lions' defensive woes
Sheppard may well end up being the scapegoat. Campbell denied the Lions are thinking about firing him in his postgame news conference in Carolina, but Detroit demoted offensive coordinator John Morton during the season last year in mid-November. This defense looks considerably worse than Morton's offense ever did.
Sheppard is trying different things. This isn't a bad defense because of some stubborn inability to adapt to what he's seeing in front of him. It's a bad defense because there are several bad players on it right now. It's easy to pin all of this on one coach, but it would be completely disingenuous – even if Sheppard isn't helping.
YES. This is just a CB problem. pic.twitter.com/4G4Bue5Kgc
— Joe Chapp (@JCSportsDetroit) October 5, 2026
Reed has been getting torched by everyone's No. 1 receiver. Rock Ya-Sin has been benched. Ennis Rakestraw Jr. is still adjusting to the NFL. Roger McCreary is getting picked on.
Jack Campbell has gone from an All-Pro to one of the worst coverage linebackers in football this year. Malcolm Rodriguez and Derrick Barnes looked lost out there in Charlotte. Safeties Chuck Clark and Christian Izien are a step behind in coverage consistently.
This defense, simply put, does not have the guys. Blame Sheppard all you want, but this game is about Jimmys and Joes way more than it's about Xs and Os. The Lions' outlook will improve whenever Brian Branch is able to return, but a safety coming off a torn Achilles cannot fix this by himself.
Firing Sheppard probably won't either. There are much deeper issues with the personnel.
If general manager Brad Holmes doesn't work the phones soon, this team isn't doing anything this year.
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