Lions Have Found 'Missing Pieces' on Defense

Detroit's defensive captain believes Lions are set up for success.

Linebacker Alex Anzalone has been a core piece of the Detroit Lions' rebuild. He's seen the organization through the lows of 2021 and the highs of the second half of 2022. 

For him, Thursday's win over the Kansas City Chiefs was a vindicating moment. Recently named a team captain, he has been an anchor for the team's rise. 

The Lions overhauled their defense, particularly in the secondary, in an effort to improve from the struggles of the last two seasons. As their performance against Patrick Mahomes showed, the unit has improved vastly and put the results on display. 

"I feel like we've been kind of missing pieces, and I feel like we finally have it defensively," Anzalone said. "It doesn't mean we're perfect or we're the most dominant players ever in some positions. But at the same time, we have players that are really, really solid players and make plays in crunch time." 

Kansas City's status as reigning Super Bowl champions piloted by the league's best quarterback provided an excellent test for Detroit after a hype-filled offseason. 

They passed with flying colors, holding the passer to his lowest passer rating since 2021. In the process, the performance announced that the defense is in a better place than it had been in years past. 

"It's big time, I feel like, it's a statement win," Anzalone explained. "Defensively, to get off the field on that fourth-and-25, and get off the field, it's just really encouraging to see defensively." 

Jerry Jacobs, another player who joined the organization during the lowly 2021 season, has gone from afterthought to key member of the defense. 

A former undrafted free agent, the Arkansas State product is another player who has embodied what the Lions have built around. The gritty defender has worked his way into a starting role in his third season. 

He played every defensive snap Thursday, recording five tackles in the season opener. 

"We just stuck with what our coaches gave us," Jacobs explained. "They gave us a great plan that we completed with each other. We just trusted each other, we knew that if we come together we can stop him. He's great but we have a great defense. We've got great rushing, we've got great inside and then our back end is just unbelievable with them guys. We just went out there with the coaches' game plan and took over."

The defense indeed made a statement. They showed their legitimacy as contenders. The veteran, who led the defense in tackles Thursday, can sense the changes coming to light. 

"For sure, I feel like it's a whole new ordeal," Anzalone elaborated. "Obviously our offense will get going and defensively, we're just playing quality football. There's really a lot that would've bit us in the butt in the past, situational deals we were in. I feel like that's where we'd sometimes lack discipline. I feel like we have the guys to come to crunch time and win the game."

Late in the game, Mahomes had the opportunity to lead his team to victory. However, Jacobs and the secondary locked down the effort and got the ball back to the offense to finish the win. 

"We gotta seal it, it's on us," Jacobs said. "It don't matter. It's Mahomes, he's gonna try to put it in, but we've gotta stop it. That's what we did. We went out there with confidence and did our jobs and that's how we came out with a W." 

The season is just beginning. The hope is that this win will be the start of the Lions' rise, not the peak. Consistency will be key in the coming weeks. 

"This isn't the Super Bowl, it's just Week 1," Anzalone explained. "Big statement win but at the same time, it's just win number one of many. That's really the mindset going forward. Stuff to correct, stuff to get better on, but we're gonna enjoy it while we're here."