For three straight games, the Detroit Lions have scored 31 points. Their offense is undeniably potent this season thanks to some continued ingenuity from offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, a steadily improving offensive line, and the trust given to Jahmyr Gibbs to carry (literally) their entire run game.
On the other side of the ball, though, the Lions are struggling.
Per Week 3's DVOA standings, the Lions are a +15.5% in offensive DVOA, and a +17.2% in DVOA. You do not want a positive DVOA on defense, and certainly not one that's well over zero. For comparison, the Minnesota Vikings have a defensive DVOA of -30.3%.
Detroit is so unbelievably close to being a juggernaut this season, but without fixing their issues on defense, they're going to be allowing weaker teams to hang around far too frequently this year.
Lions' early defensive DVOA unfortunately passes the eye test
We know that the Lions' pass rush doesn't appear to be a concern.
They've got the second-most sacks in the league, and are doing a good job of generating pressure outside of Aidan Hutchinson. The teams' EDGE2, DJ Wonnum, has two sacks right now and has been fairly consistent as a disruptive rusher this season, while the Lions' interior defensive line has been just as tough for offensive lines to handle.
We turn to their linebacker room and their secondary to uncover their issues defensively. Jack Campbell has been underwhelming to start the year, being below average at containing the run and in coverage. The only linebacker that feels like he's awake to start this year is Trevor Nowaske.
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In their secondary...where do I start? They're still on the hunt for a CB2 with Rock Ya-Sin continuing to post worse and worse performances for Detroit, while D.J. Reed has been caught a step slow against younger, faster, and taller wide receivers this season. They're allowing a league-worst 299.3 passing yards per game and 898 total passing yards so far.
So much uncertainty on that front has thrown their defense into this imbalanced loop: their defensive line is doing just enough to put the pressure on quarterbacks this season, but their secondary can't do anything to help them capitalize on that pressure. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Detroit will likely be giving more snaps to Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Keith Abney II in their pursuit for a solution at CB2, and they may ultimately have to make an aggressive move at the trade deadline to address their needs at the position. For right now, though, it's clear that this is huge issue being masked by how elite their offense looks.
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