With their fourth loss of the 2023 regular season to the Chicago Bears, the Detroit Lions have found themselves in a slump.
While Detroit does have a buffer at the top of the NFC North, the gap is closing. Green Bay and Minnesota have their sights set firmly on the Lions. Meanwhile, the Lions are moving back in the bigger conference picture. When they could be challenging for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, their performances are moving backward, while those ahead in the playoff race continue to surge.
Lions’ Defensive Struggles
The main concern for the Lions will be their defense. Detriot currently ranks 28th in sacks during the 2023 regular season with just 21. They have also conceded 20 passing touchdowns and 11 rushing touchdowns in 2023.
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In addition, since Week 7, the Lions rank last for points per game allowed and last in red-zone touchdown percentage. They are also giving up 8.6 yards per passing attempt.
Speaking on GameDay Morning on NFL Network, Gerald McCoy said the Lions pass rush and coverage aren’t working together. McCoy shared, “When the rush is there, the coverage is not there. And when the coverage is there, the rush is not there. If they want to improve, they have to be better in rush and coverage working together.”
Defensive Stats Since the Bye Week
The Lions entered their bye week in Week 9 with a record of 6-2 and looked like one of the stronger teams in the NFC.
However, since Detroit has come off their bye, their defense has conceded far too many points. While they have won three of the five games since the bye, there has been an increase in the points allowed.
Since the bye week, the Lions have conceded over 26 points in all five games. In the eight games before the bye, they had only conceded that many points in two games (Seahawks and Ravens).
In contrast, the Lions offense had scored 22 or more points in every game after their bye week before their 28-13 loss to the Bears.
Jared Goff’s Performance
The downturn in defensive output has also coincided with a downturn in the performance of QB Jared Goff.
Goff has eight interceptions in 2023, throwing five in his last four games. Unfortunately for Goff, all five were in two games against the Bears.
It isn’t just the number of turnover-worthy plays that Goff is throwing; it’s the manner of them.
When he is at his best, Goff has proven that he is a competent QB. An average QB rating of 60.3 puts Goff 10th among all NFL quarterbacks. However, the lows are stifling the Lions offense at a time when they need to do more to make up for defensive deficiencies.
The Lions have Denver at home, Minnesota away, Dallas away, and Minnesota at home to finish the regular season. All have something to fight for down the stretch, and the Lions are going to have to improve if they are to maintain their hold on the NFC North and if they are to finally break their playoff duct.
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