The Detroit Lions have struggled in a big way on defense this season, and as a result, the work of coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has come into focus as the season wears on.
After.a tough loss in Week 4, there was a notion that the Lions should look to move on from Sheppard if he couldn't have a strong performance in Week 5. Fortunately for Detroit, Sheppard's defense rebounded in a 45-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals, which bought him more time this year.
How much heat should Sheppard be receiving? In the minds of some, plenty. In the minds of others, not so much. ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell revealed the personalities most on the hot seat heading into Week 6. Even though the Lions are on their bye week, he had Sheppard
Interestingly, though, Barnwell stopped short of blaming Sheppard entirely for the mess the Lions are in, stating the team isn't working with the most talent in their defensive backfield this season. That conclusion would certainly place a fair amount of blame on general manager Brad Holmes and his roster construction this offseason.
"The Lions are a disaster on defense, ranking 29th in points allowed per drive and last in EPA per play. They can't get off the field on third down and have allowed teams to convert 81% of their red zone trips into touchdowns, the third-worst figure in the league."
"Is that on coaching? I'm skeptical. Watching the Lions closely, I see a defense that simply doesn't have enough talent as opposed to one that makes routine schematic mistakes. The Lions comfortably have the worst secondary in the NFL, a product of injuries (which have cost them one of the league's best safety duos in Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph) and off-field behavior (leading to the release of 2024 first-round pick Terrion Arnold, who admittedly wasn't living up to expectations before being cut amid felony charges of armed robbery and kidnapping)."
Names like Clark, McCreary, Izien and others have all had their moments of solid play this season, but each need to string together something with consistency in order to get the Lions over the hump. It remains to be seen if collectively this group can rally enough to get that job done, or if the Lions will remain a pushover thanks to their back end.
Barnwell certainly isn't the first to look predominantly at the talent on the back end and come to the conclusion that the Lions might not have enough no matter who is calling the shots on the headset.
Dan Campbell was encouraged by Lions' defense during Week 5 win
The performance against the Cardinals, which featured a run of five consecutive defensive stops in the first-half to allow the Lions to take control of the game, was a major improvement for Detroit. As such, it allowed Campbell to breathe a bit heading into the bye week.
After the win, Campbell praised his defense and the work they put in to get the victory. He also credited Sheppard specifically for what he was able to do, and noted the performance was a positive step for the Lions moving into a harder slate of games.
"I thought we were sticky in coverage, very disciplined minus a couple of plays. I thought (Kelvin) Sheppard and the staff did an outstanding job and the players really responded. They took it to heart and tried to do all the little things right and play with aggressiveness and just really set the tone for the day. The offense fed off of that. Once we found our rhythm, the defense fed off of them and special teams."
READ MORE: How the Lions’ 2025 Christmas loss could end up being a big win
"I just thought it was a great team effort. We cleaned up a lot of the little stuff. It's not good enough. We're gonna have to be a hell of a lot better when we play Green Bay coming out of the bye, but that was a step in the right direction. It got us to win number three."
In the weeks ahead, the Lions may infuse much more talent into their defensive backfield. Branch is slated to return, and Detroit could look to make a splashy trade ahead of the November 10 deadline to add another cornerback. It's possible talent will help override some of the schematic issues the team has recently seen.
Even though that is the case, it's worth remembering that Sheppard remains on the hot seat for more than one reason. Both he and the Detroit defense have a lot to prove together.
Add us as a preferred source on Google