Even with a 2-2 record, it felt like the Detroit Lions had their backs against the wall entering Week 5. Dan Campbell's team couldn't get a stop on defense, and that nearly cost them every game, even the ones they managed to win.
While facing the Arizona Cardinals is no barometer for determining whether a team is a contender, it gave defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard a golden opportunity to shake things up on defense. The sample size is limited, but it worked like a charm.
As Lions reporter Colton Pouncy shared on X, the Lions played man coverage in 19.7 percent of snaps on Sunday. The players reportedly preferred playing more man coverage, and while head coach Dan Campbell claimed this would change week to week, it might be a sign of things to come.
The Detroit Lions looked much better in man coverage
While 19.7 percent isn't significantly more than the 15.6 percent they averaged through the first month of the regular season, they played 25.7 percent man coverage in the first half before securing a big lead.
Again, people should take these numbers with a grain of salt, given that the Cardinals aren't necessarily a contender. That said, this defense desperately needed a win, and props to Coach Sheppard for listening to his players and adjusting to maximize their strengths.
Box-score watchers might argue that a bottom-feeding team like the Cardinals still put up 21 points against them, but context matters. The game was pretty much out of reach midway through the third quarter when the Lions were up by 24 points.
Now, Campbell's team will head into the bye week with some much-needed momentum and more time to look back on what's happened thus far and make decisions accordingly. Also, they'll get star safety Brian Branch back in the fold for the next game.
It's still way too early to tell whether this will be enough to get the team to go the distance. Even if Kerby Joseph also returns and rookie Keith Abney II keeps trending up, they might still need to make a move or two and add more help at cornerback.
Nevertheless, this is what good teams do. They don't struggle to close out teams that aren't in the same weight class; they punch down, take care of business, and even test things out for when they have to face an actual contender.
Let's get some rest, watch some tape, and keep rolling. This defense still has a long way to go, but they might finally be heading in the right direction.
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