Lions Committed Fewest Turnovers in NFL

The Detroit Lions emphasized protecting the football in 2022.

The Detroit Lions committed the least amount of turnovers (15) in the National Football League throughout the course of the 2022 season. 

Part of the reason the team won eight of its last 10 games to finish the season was its ability to protect the football and force opponents into turning the ball over at a higher rate. 

After 17 games, the Lions only tossed seven interceptions, and lost possession on eight occasions after fumbling. 

Quarterback Jared Goff, who had arguably the best season of his career, has not tossed an interception in his last 324 attempts, nearing an NFL record. 

Rookie safety Kerby Joseph led the team with a total of four interceptions, including three against future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. 

In 2022, the Lions secured a total of 22 turnovers -- 12 interceptions and 10 fumbles -- in Aaron Glenn's second season running the defense.

More: Lions 2023 NFL Mock Draft Roundup 

"Defensively speaking, the character of our defense, because that’s another thing that I challenge our guys with," Glenn said. "You guys know, I’ve been talking about this for a long time of breaking barriers, and this was one barrier that we just haven’t had a chance to face, man, getting your a** whooped by a team and how do you come back from that? Now, we lost. We lost against Buffalo, and we came back. But, we got beat pretty bad (against Carolina), and man, those guys came back and they performed. To me, that shows the growth and maturity and where we’re going as a team and as an organization. So, I was really proud of that.”

Key stat check: The Patriots finish plus-7 in turnover differential, tied for 4th in the NFL.

Note that 11 of the league’s 14 playoff teams are in top 15.

A reminder of something Bill Belichick sometimes says: Almost nothing correlates more to wins/losses than turnovers. pic.twitter.com/7SLcmCC6yf

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 9, 2023