Lions' Week 4 Defensive Grades: Kamara and Murray Make Lions Pay

Read more on how the Detroit Lions' defense fared against the New Orleans Saints

The Detroit Lions had an opportunity in 2017 to draft star running back Alvin Kamara.

Instead, general manager Bob Quinn chose to select cornerback Teez Tabor with the No. 53 overall pick in the second round. 

Kamara was eventually drafted by the Saints with pick No. 67 overall in the third round.

On Sunday, Kamara and Latavius Murray torched Detroit's defense throughout all four quarters. 

Kamara ended his day with 83 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries.

Murray, meanwhile, secured 64 yards and two touchdowns on 14 rushes. 

Here are the grades for the Lions' defense after the team's Week 4 contest with New Orleans. 

New Orleans Saints running back Latavius Murray / © Junfu Han via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Defensive line: F

The issues at defensive line have not improved.

In fact, an argument can be made the rush defense is even worse than it was last season. 

Lions nose tackle Danny Shelton made the only impactful play when he tipped a Drew Brees pass that ended up being intercepted.

After that, the defensive line was bullied for the remainder of the afternoon. 

The Saints converted 10-of-14 third-down attempts, and rushed for a total of 164 yards.

Detroit defensive end Trey Flowers cost the team 15 yards when he was called for roughing the passer for a low hit on Brees.

Linebackers: F

Lions linebacker Jarrad Davis earned a 94.5 PFF grade on Sunday. 

The coaching staff must continue to work to find the best way to use his skill set, but in a limited capacity. 

Detroit's young linebackers saw a reduction in snap count in favor of veterans Reggie Ragland and Jamie Collins. 

The linebackers need to keep working on communication and gap integrity ahead of their next game in two weeks. 

Seocondary: D

At least for this week, the talk of Brees being over the hill has been silenced.

Brees averaged 9.5 yards per throw, and he was able to pick apart Detroit's secondary.

Even though Detroit continued to play more zone coverage, the veteran quarterback found the soft spots with relative ease.

Special teams: B+

Punter Jack Fox averaged 46.2 net yards on his four punts, and continued his solid play during the first quarter of the season.

Meanwhile, Matt Prater did not attempt a single field goal against the Saints. 

More from SI All Lions:

Lions' Week 4 Offensive Grades

Legend of Jim Caldwell Has Grown Because Matt Patricia Has Failed

Matthew Stafford Deserves as Much Blame for Lions Woes as Matt Patricia

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