If Lions' Defense Grows, It Can Shut Down Any NFL Team

Lions' defense bounced back in a big way against the Falcons.

The Detroit Lions needed a bounce-back win in the worst way, and delivered just that Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. There are several players – and individuals on both sides of the ball – to credit for the win, including running back Jahmyr Gibbs and pass-catchers Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Yet, this Week 3 tilt with the Falcons was far from a masterful performance by Ben Johnson's offense. There were several instances where Detroit's offense stalled. In totality, the Lions punted the football six times, plus Jared Goff threw an interception for the second straight week.

Detroit's stagnant offensive ways kept the Falcons in the game for the majority of Sunday. Luckily, for Goff & Co., though, Aaron Glenn's defense consistently came through with crucial stops.

Glenn's unit, in fact, limited the Falcons to just six total points (zero touchdowns) and a measly 145 total yards of offense.

Perhaps most impressively, the Lions kept Atlanta's lauded ground game in check, and held Bijan Robinson and the Falcons' group of backs to just 44 yards (including a lowly 2.2 yards per carry).

Remember, Robinson, who amassed just 33 rushing yards against Detroit, was coming off a 19-carry, 124-yard performance against the Green Bay Packers.

On top of shutting down Atlanta's run game, Detroit also consistently wreaked havoc against Falcons signal-caller Desmond Ridder. It ended up with seven sacks of the second-year passer, with Aidan Hutchinson leading the way with two of them. Prior to Sunday, Hutchinson had failed to record a quarterback takedown in 2023.

It was a much-welcomed change of pace and a playoff team-caliber performance from Glenn's unit, which allowed 326 total yards of offense and 37 points in Week 2 to the Seattle Seahawks. It also came up with just a single sack a week ago against Seattle's Geno Smith.

"I just know collectively as a defense, we were on it,” Lions head man Dan Campbell told reporters after the win over Atlanta. “The guys came out, and everybody was in tune with the way we wanted to play. And, it’s not like we didn’t play hard last week. It’s just, man, you gotta clean things up, and you gotta have everybody on board. And, I just thought that the gameplan was great. I thought the guys executed it well, and I thought we played with a lot of intensity and tempo and set the tone for the day and just really never stopped."

As good as Hutchinson was for the Lions Sunday (two sacks, a tackle for loss, two passes defensed and a fumble recovery), rookie defensive back Brian Branch was arguably the star of the game. He set the tone for Detroit defensively with his physical play, and was a constant presence around the football.

The first-year nickel corner finished with a team-high 11 total tackles, including a game-high three tackles for loss, and two passes defensed. In doing so, Branch became the first NFL defensive back since 1994 to produce at least 10 tackles, three tackles for loss and two passes defensed in a single game.

There's no denying the fact that Branch and his defensive counterparts played with a chip on their shoulder Sunday, with the intent to put last week's dismal performance in the rearview mirror as much as possible.

"Coming from a loss last week, we were hungry,” Branch said in the postgame. “We just wanted to get out here, and this is our get-back day, it felt like. We're gonna ride together, and shoot, everybody played for each other tonight.”

Campbell was thrilled with the production that Branch delivered against Atlanta.

“Well, you see a guy who’s improved every practice, every game,” the third-year head coach told 97.1 The Ticket after the game. “And look, he still has errors, he still has mistakes, as any young player would. But, they’re becoming less and less. Instead of having critical errors, he’s having critical, productive plays at meaningful times. So, he really stepped up and played big, and it’s one of the reasons why we liked him a lot. Putting him in there at the nickel, and he just continues to grow.”

As a whole Sunday, Detroit’s defense played with a heightened sense of hunger and urgency. Campbell echoed the sentiment after the game, expressing to 97.1 The Ticket that the Lions played like “a hungry freakin’ team” in their Week 3 battle with the Falcons.

In fact, unlike a week ago against the Seahawks, Glenn’s unit consistently swarmed to the ball and finished plays against Ridder & Co.

It was a positive development from Campbell’s squad, and it’s the brand of football that the Lions’ defense must continue to play in order to be its most effective the rest of the way this season.

If Detroit, however, reverts to its less aggressive, less physical ways, it might just find itself on the outside, looking in, at the start of the 2023 postseason.