The Detroit Lions have quietly won four games in a row after a shaky start to the 2026 season, and have positioned themselves well for a run to the NFC playoffs as a result.
Early on, consistency was easy to find on offense but much harder to find on defense. Lately, though, the script has flipped in a big way. Suddenly, the team's defense has been the reason they are winning games just as much as the offense.
Detroit went on the road in Week 9 and managed to grind out a 19-9 win against the Miami Dolphins on a day where their offense struggled. The defense stepped up by allowing 228 total yards and nabbing one interception. They shut down the run to the tune of 77 yards and also collected three sacks.
It was the fourth straight solid performance, two of which have come on the road and two of which have come against tough NFC North competition. That work has opened plenty of eyes around the league including that of ESPN.
Following Detroit's win, one of the site's biggest takeaways revolved around whether or not the Lions defense might now be a team strength after being a major weakness for so long. The analysis seemed to point to the fact that things are trending in a solid direction moving forward.
"Sure, the past two offenses they've faced -- Minnesota and Miami -- were the 26th and 31st scoring offenses entering Week 9, respectively, but the unit has now stacked four solid performances in a row. Through the first four weeks, Detroit's defense was second-to-last in points allowed (31.8). Since then -- in wins against the Cardinals, Packers, Vikings and Dolphins -- they've allowed just 17.0 per game. Given the Lions' normally high-scoring offense had struggled to score in each of the past two contests, the defensive turnaround couldn't have come at a better time."
The Lions defense has had to deal with a lot this season. They had to overcome struggles on the back end early leading to questions about Kelvin Sheppard's job security. Now, they are contending with a tough injury to Jack Campbell, who's been their heart and soul at linebacker. All the while, there has been other injuries that have challenged their depth at multiple spots.
It's long been assumed the Lions could be the best team in the NFL if their defense was a serviceable, middle-of-the-pack outfit instead of an awful embarrassment. It's a credit to the group that they have been able to keep fighting and not only improve, but make a quiet case for having a strong unit. They might get even better in the days ahead.
Dan Campbell pleased by growth Lions' defense has recently shown
Perhaps the one person who believed in the Detroit defense all along was Campbell. Even when the group was struggling early on, the head coach was preaching patience. So far, that patience has been rewarded with some fantastic efforts when the Lions have needed them most.
Following the win over the Dolphins, Campbell paused to give credit where it is due to the Detroit defense. As he said, faith has been building as time has gone by given the way the Lions have performed in recent weeks after some early trouble.
"We've cleaned a lot up and guys are trusting what they're being taught. They're executing it, and with that execution comes confidence. Their confidence has grown and their trust in one another (has grown). That's always going to help you play better. Once we tightened a few things up on the back end, our front's been playing at a pretty high level. We've been able to shut down the run and we can get to the quarterback. It took us a minute. We couldn't quite get there in the first-half. Second-half though, we started making some hay. I'm proud of those guys."
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Up next on the schedule? The biggest tests the Lions have had thus far this season. They travel to Germany to take on the New England Patriots before hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a week later. After that, a short week and a Thanksgiving Day game against the Chicago Bears.
If the Lions can keep their heads above water in this stretch, the defense will be a big reason why that is the case. It's a major credit to Sheppard, Campbell and all of the players that a midseason turnaround is reality at this point.
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