The Detroit Lions have put together a magical season, spurred on by the support of their faithful — and boisterous — fan base. After their victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Divisional Round, the Lions have a showdown with the San Francisco 49ers looming in the NFC Championship Game a week from now.
However, there is a glaring need that the Lions need to address if they hope to knock off the No. 1 seed in the NFC and reach their ultimate goal of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy this year. How can they fix it?
The Lions’ Secondary Needs Serious Fixing
Detroit’s defense has become feared as one of the more stout units in the NFL this season, buoyed in large part due to the presence of young pass rushers like Aidan Hutchinson on the line.
However, while their run defense has become one of the best units in the league, their secondary has been positively gashed in recent weeks as NFL offenses have been able to move the ball up and down the field freely.
In the Wild Card Round, Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford was able to throw for 367 yards and two touchdowns to zero interceptions. And again in the Divisional Round, QB Baker Mayfield totaled 349 passing yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions, including the game-clincher late in the fourth quarter.
While there are certainly positives to take away from the Lions’ performances recently, NFL teams that seek to end the year as Super Bowl champions usually are not able to get away with lackluster coverage performances like these.
It’s certainly too late in the year to find viable replacements sitting out there for the Lions to scoop up that can individually improve their secondary. However, adjustments need to be made with play-calling and finding ways to generate pressure from unexpected places in order for the Lions to catch their opponents off guard.
In the NFC Championship, the Lions will take on a powerhouse offense that — although they struggled mightily against the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round — will test the limits of this Detroit defense.
With players like RB Christian McCaffrey, WR Brandon Aiyuk, TE George Kittle, and potentially WR Deebo Samuel all capable of single-handedly wrecking a defensive game plan, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn will have his hands full going into next week.
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As other NFL franchises seek to determine whether or not Glenn — four teams have officially interviewed the Lions’ DC up to this point — can lead their franchise back to winning ways, Sunday will be a big test for him personally.
It’ll be an even bigger test for a secondary that has allowed the most passing yards in the NFL — by a wide margin — over the last three games. We’ll find out if they’ve figured out how to make it work and address the problem very soon.
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