Lions Film Study: Why the Lions’ defense slipped into the seventh circle of hell on third down against the Panthers
I went back through the Lions-Panthers film and pulled the 5 third- and fourth-down clips that tell the story. By the end, I was more convinced than ever this is a coaching/schematic problem more than a personnel problem.
As I do every week, I go back and look at the film of the Detroit Lions’ previous game and try to pull the most important five clips that really tell the story. This week, it was all about third and fourth down. The thing is, I came away thinking more than ever that the Lions have a coaching and schematic issue on defense more than they have a personnel issue, and this shows why this defense has slipped into the seventh circle of hell as of late.
Clip 1: 3rd-and-9 part 1
It became very apparent on the night, and even more apparent on second watch, that the Panthers were well aware that the Lions wanted to live off of their defensive line. So the answer was simple: get the ball out fast. Clips like this show why the Lions were sixth in the league on time to throw on third down this week, but 22nd in time to pressure. They never had a chance to get there.
Young never has to look off his first read, and the coverage doesn’t force him to hold onto the ball. Carolina made the pass rush irrelevant all night, even though it was pretty good.
Clip 2: 3rd-and-9 Part 2
The same exact thing. The Lions learned a lesson on the first one, but never applied what they learned. They bring the house and an extra rusher, and Young never looks off his first read. The Lions never force him to make a five-year throw; they just give him the throw he wants to make, and that’s that.
Clip 3: 4th-and-4 part 1
Again, It’s the same thing over and over again. At this point, if I didn’t tell you, would you know that I’m showing you different clips? Extra rusher, bring the house, Young makes one read, makes the throw, and that’s that. I mean, if I’m Young and the Panthers, I’m probably saying to myself, “Are these guys really still doing this?”
Clip 4: 4th-and-4 part 2
Just no resistance around the sticks. At some point, you have to realize that the pressure isn’t working, and you have to challenge the routes earlier, crowd the line to gain, and make Young throw short of the sticks or hold the football. They just never did.
Clip 5: 3rd-and-14
Ok, this one is probably just a great throw and an even greater catch. The pressure did work here, and the coverage wasn’t bad either. It’s just a guy making a great catch on the sidelines. I would think that if you ran this again, the Lions might get the stop the second time around.
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