3 Improvements Lions' Defense Must Make
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has his work cut out for him the remainder of the 2022 campaign.
Through five games, the Lions rank dead last in points allowed (170) and 31st in yards permitted (2,143).
Coming out of the bye week, Detroit will need to be a much better defensive unit, in order to have any chance at salvaging the season.
With that said, here are three things Glenn's defense can do to be more productive the rest of the way this season.
1.) Generate more pressure
Clearly, the Lions have a problem with getting after the quarterback.
Through five games, Detroit has recorded just seven total sacks, equating to a dismal 1.4 sacks a game. The only team which has produced less sacks is the Arizona Cardinals (6.0).
Additionally, rookie EDGE Aidan Hutchinson leads all Lions defenders with three sacks. And, as good as that may sound, each of those sacks from Hutchinson came in Detroit's Week 2 win vs. the Washington Commanders.
Also, no one else on the Lions' roster presently has more than one sack.
The inability to generate consistent pressure has been a problem for Detroit for far too long now. And, until it gets rectified, the team's defense, as a whole, will continue to be mediocre.
2.) Stop giving up big plays
The Lions continue to get eaten up by the big play. Outside of the team's inability to get after the quarterback, this has been the defense's most glaring issue.
On the season, Detroit has allowed a total of 88 plays of 10-plus yards, the most in the NFL. This includes 25 rushes of 10-plus yards, which is another league-worst mark.
And, the Lions' struggles in stopping the big play don't stop there. They've also permitted an NFL-high eight runs of 20-plus yards.
All of the above is completely unacceptable, even with Detroit's lack of high-end talent on defense.
And, until the Lions get better at preventing the big play, Glenn's defense will remain ineffective.
3.) Get Amani Oruwariye back on track
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Oruwariye has taken a big step back so far this season.
The fourth-year cornerback has struggled mightily in pass coverage, and has been penalty prone. In fact, he committed six penalties in Detroit's Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Things have gotten so bad for the 26-year-old that he was a healthy scratch for the Lions' Week 5 contest with the New England Patriots.
"Look, I think it was important for him to know that this doesn’t mean that this is done. It never meant that, (and) he knew that last week," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said, regarding his decision to bench Oruwariye. "But, with where we were at, I mean, we were last in the league by a long shot, and we felt (the) majority of the issues that were popping up were on the backend. It's just -- we needed to do that. We needed to shake things up, and so -- but just like I told him, this doesn’t mean this is over.
"We’re not just discarding Amani. I mean, he’s going to have a shot. And, he asked that last week, ‘Will I have a shot?’ Even if it doesn’t pertain to injury, and the answer is yes. I mean, (if) he goes out there and practices and proves it, then absolutely he’ll get an opportunity to go back out there and win that job. Amani’s a pro. He’s a pro.”
Campbell & Co. definitely need to get Oruwariye back on the right track. Coming into the 2022 campaign, he was expected to be the team's best cover corner (especially after recording a career-best six interceptions and 11 passes defensed a season ago).
However, up to this point, he's only played in three games, and has yet to amass a single interception.
The Lions are undoubtedly a better defensive unit when Oruwariye suits up. However, before he reclaims his starting job, he needs to prove that he deserves it. And hopefully for Detroit's sake, it happens sooner than later.
