Detroit Lions: Matt Patricia Needs to Fix This Embarrassing Run Defense
By Bob Heyrman
The Detroit Lions need to correct their run defense or lack thereof before Sunday when the Minnesota Vikings come rumbling into town.
Coming off of a Monday night football game to forget the Detroit Lions need to rebound with a win Sunday afternoon against another NFC North rival. It was a Monday night game that continues to leave a bad taste in every Lion’s fan’s mouth.
The officials screwed the Detroit Lions on multiple plays, one critical call on Trey Flowers prevented Matthew Stafford from receiving the ball back with nearly a minute and a half left only down by one. That would have been a tremendous finish, and that is considering Mason Crosby converted on the go-ahead kick. Crosby is known to miss a few here and there. Yet, the Packers were able to bleed the clock and kick a short, chip-shot field goal as time expired all due to a phantom penalty call.
Somehow the Detroit Lions need to put that game into their rearview mirror and move forward unbothered. The Minnesota Vikings roll into Detroit, only trailing the Packers by a game, hoping to chase them down.
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The matchup that will determine the football game will be the Vikings tremendous run game against an atrocious Detroit Lions run defense. If you had told me before the start of the season that the Lions would rank 27th in the NFL against the run heading into week seven, I would have laughed at you.
I expected the run defense to be a strength of the Lions defense. It’s not even respectable to this point of the season. It’s flat out embarrassing. Running backs have been carving up this Lions defense like Clark Griswold chopping up a dry turkey for Christmas dinner.
It’s a matchup that will plainly define the football game. Detroit is allowing 133.8 yards per game on the ground. The Minnesota Vikings are a run-first football team averaging a whopping 159 rushing yards per week. That’s good for third in the National Football League.
Something to be aware of is the Matt Patricia led defenses are known to give up plenty of yards throughout his history even with the New England Patriots. It’s the same in Detroit as the Lions are allowing 413.8 yards per game, which ranks 29th in the NFL. Matt Patricia needs to figure this out, and fast!
Many would argue the Patriots were better last season under the direction of now Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. This season the Patriots own one of the best defenses in all of football with the genius Bill Belichick running the show. Granted, Bill had the final say last season too, but Brian Flores was his ‘main’ defensive assistant.
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The DL needs to show up hungry Sunday. Damon Harrison has only been credited with 13 tackles, a mere 3 pressures and 2 sacks on the season. Harrison and Trey Flowers both have 4 missed tackles to this point, as well. If the Lions have any hope of winning this football game, Harrison needs to decide he wants to once again dominate in the trenches.