The Detroit Lions have had one hell of a run to get to 14-2.
Unbeaten in the top division of the league. Sunday night’s regular season finale against the Minnesota Vikings will decide the NFC North crown and the No. 1 seed. 1 in the conference. The Lions had to overcome more than their fair share of injuries throughout the trip.
But you couldn’t watch Detroit’s 40-34 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night and feel good about the state of the Lions’ defense heading into the playoffs.
It’s hard not to like these Lions. I’m a big, big fan of Dan Campbell; their offense is endlessly fun to watch, and it’s exciting to see a franchise that has gone winless for the better part of 60 years get its chance in the spotlight, fighting for its first Super Bowl.
However, their weaknesses are obvious. I don’t lay the blame at the feet of defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. He plays key players in an injury-plagued squad.
The biggest name the Lions are missing on that side of the ball is Aidan Hutchinson, who broke his tibia and fibula in Week 6, but that’s just the beginning. Six of the Lions’ Week 1 starters are protected from injury, key guys the average football fan may not be familiar with, like 2023 offensive lineman Alex Anzalone.
Just two weeks ago, corner No. 1 Carlton Davis broke his jaw, and defensive lineman Alim McNeil (second in sacks behind Hutchinson) tore his ACL.
On paper, it may not seem like a big deal. The Lions enter Monday with the No. 7 point defense (19.9 ppg allowed) despite giving up the 14th-most yards per game (338.9), a true “bend but don’t break” setup.
But in seven games against playoff teams (counting the NFC South-leading Buccaneers, who could win in Week 18), the Lions have given up 26.4 points per game. And some of Detroit’s toughest showings have come this month as the numbers continue to thin: 31 points in a win over Green Bay, 48 in a loss to Buffalo, and 34 on Monday night in San Fran.
Not only did the 49ers’ first five drives result in four touchdowns and a missed field goal, but they went on third downs four times. The Niners offense with Isaac Guerendo in place of Christian McCaffrey and Ricky Pearsall in place of Brandon Aiyuk was getting everything it wanted.
I give credit to Kerby Joseph, the lone bright spot in Detroit’s five pass defense, as he collected his eighth and ninth interceptions of the year in the second half. (To be fair, Brock Purdy got a bad overturn in the first and showed up perfectly in the second.) But both came after teammate Brian Branch gave away head penalties to help the opposition drive past.
Glenn gave a quote the other week that I really appreciate. It was after the Lions lost Davis and McNeil, and it was clear he had heard enough of his team’s bad luck with injuries.
“We will go to the finals. We are in a competition. Why is the sky falling to hell?” Glenn said. “Why do we have to be sad? We let you do that.”
It’s much better than a negative “woe is me” comment from a coach. His job is not to worry but to work with what he has.
But if I’m a Lions fan right now and I’m thinking about what Minnesota, Green Bay, Philadelphia or Washington can do to protect me in the playoffs… the sky may not be falling, but I’ll be lining up. to donate my leg and my jaw to the Honolulu blue boys who really need it.
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