The Lions’ game against the Panthers exposed some of their biggest issues. The game ended with a 32-26 win for the Panthers. Now, if the Lions want to finish this season, they need to fix their defensive struggles.
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“Lions, I got a lot of love for y’all but man this defense is bad bad😮💨,” Lions former cornerback Darius Slay said on X.
The Lions’ defense struggled against the Panthers throughout the game. Carolina ran for 127 yards on 28 carries, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, and picked up 10 rushing first downs. Lions also allowed 32 points, which shows the trouble they face against the Panthers.
The Panthers were more effective when it mattered most. Carolina scored on 3 of its 4 red-zone trips. The Panthers also converted both of their fourth-down attempts.
The same issues were evident in the Lions against the Bills. Buffalo rushed for 203 yards on 36 attempts, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. The Bills also controlled possession for 33:45, nearly eight minutes more than Detroit, and converted 9 of 12 third downs, showing they consistently kept drives alive. The Panthers had possession for a similar amount of time, too.
After four games, Detroit has allowed a whopping 127 points at an average of 31.8 points per game. They now lead the league in this stat.
“This may be controversial, but I think the Lions should take play calling duties away from Kelvin Sheppard for Jim O’Neil, who has experience as a DC,” 100.9 The Mitt’s Ben Bosscher said on X.
A big problem for the defense has been its underwhelming secondary. The Lions are without Terrion Arnold, and DJ Reed has not been performing up to the mark. They also missed out on Joey Porter Jr., who was traded by the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Dallas Cowboys.
Then there is safety. The Lions have been without Brian Branch, who is recovering from an Achilles injury, and Kerby Joseph, who is dealing with a knee injury. Both were on the PUP list and missed the first four games of the season.
Detroit then lost more depth when Avonte Maddox was ruled out for the season, and Thomas Harper was placed on injured reserve. Because of those injuries, the Lions had to bring veteran Jalen Mills up from the practice squad to add experience and depth at safety against the Panthers.
But the moves have not worked out for the Lions. Entering week 4, they had allowed an average of 299.3 passing yards per game and an opposing passer rating of 110.2. This was a side that even made the New York Jets look good, with Geno Smith nailing 31 of his 37 pass attempts.
Against Carolina, Detroit gave up 318 passing yards.
The defensive failures have forced the offense to work overtime. Even though the Lions did not have possession for longer against the Panthers, Jared Goff and Co. posted a total of 452 offensive yards, only slightly more than the opponent’s 445.
There have been growing rumors and calls for the Lions to perhaps move on from defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. However, after the Carolina loss, here’s what head coach Dan Campbell had to say:
“I’m not talking about all that, man,” he said about the idea. “I’m talking about getting better, right now, with what we’ve got, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to find a way to get better with what we’ve got.”
Now, it will be interesting to see if the Lions tackle the situation before facing the Cardinals next week or the defensive struggles continue to bug them.