The Hard Truth Lions Fans Need To Hear About Detroit’s Defense: You’re both planning for different things

The Lions care about rushing the passer, but it’s not going to be the basis of their defense and it shouldn’t be

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Detroit Lions executive vice president and general manager Brad Holmes, left, and Lions head coach Dan Campbell head off the practice field at the team’s training facility in Allen Park on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The crashouts are real when it comes to Detroit Lions fans right now, and I totally get it.

The Lions did not go after the big-name edge rushers, as some of you probably shouldn’t have dreamed they would, and they didn’t go after some of the secondary pass rushers like I thought they would or should have. The Lions preferred value and youth over those things.

I get why you’re upset. It seems so simple, right? Get guys who can sack the quarterback, but…

The Lions don’t care about pass rush like you do, and it’s not what they want their defense to be about. They want to stop the run the most

This has to be the understanding right now. The Lions want to make teams one-dimensional. It is the very basis of their defense. They want you to pass on them. Because three things can happen when you pass the ball, and two of them are bad.

This is not a bad way to go about building a defense. Look at the top 10 teams against the run last year, and look at their points allowed per game ranks as well as where they finished in pressures and sacks. Also, tell me what you notice about these teams afterwards.

TeamRush yards per gamePPGSacksPlayoffs?
Jaguars85.619.827thYes
Broncos91.118.31stYes
Seahawks91.917.29thYes
Texans93.717.47thYes
Bucs99.124.219thNo
Patriots101.718.826thYes
Colts101.924.215thNo
Chargers105.42011thYes
Chiefs105.719.325thNo
Ravens106.623.428thNo

Ok, let’s start here. Almost all of these teams made the playoffs. That includes the two teams from the Super Bowl and the team that won it. Look how many of those teams were top 10 in sacks. Three of them. Only five of the top 10 teams in the NFL in sacks made the playoffs. So why would you want that to be the basis of your team?

The Lions were one of those teams that finished top 10 in sacks and didn’t make the playoffs. They were fourth in the league. But they allowed 114 rushing yards per game and got gashed at the end of the year when the injuries happened. A time in which they actually had more sacks.

You want pressure, and you want sacks. They’re both awesome. But they mean nothing if a team can just gash you on the run. You need to find the balance between those two things, and that is what the Lions are attempting to do. That is what the Seahawks did, and they didn’t do it by spending the most money in the league. It’s what the Chiefs have been doing for years, and they didn’t buy the most expensive edge rusher to do it.

At the end of the day, getting guys like Maxx Crosby or Trey Hendrickson, who are good pass rushers but average to below average against the run, just goes wildly against the idea. It’s not about time to pressure, and it’s not about all this other noise. It’s about stopping the run and forcing the opponent to be predictable. That goes a long way.

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