The Detroit Lions' secondary was the biggest question mark for the team going into the Monday Night Football matchup against the Bucs. The absences of DJ Reed, Terrion Arnold, Kerby Joseph, and Brian Branch raised a ton of questions about how the Lions would slow down one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league. Not only did they slow the Bucs down, but they kept them to just 58 yards of offense in the first half, and a total of only 251 yards for the game.
A big factor in this unexpected performance was the play of Nick Whiteside. The 25-year-old cornerback who made his season debut against the Chiefs last week, lining up in seven special teams snaps, played a large role amid the defensive backfield absences. Whiteside's first defensive snaps in the NFL couldn't have gone better, as he finished the game with three pass breakups and holding receivers to one catch in five targets. One of his breakups was knocking away a two-point try and another was an end-zone target for Emeka Egbuka in the fourth quarter.
Nick Whiteside Was the Unexpected Star for the Lions in Week 7
As a result, Whiteside finished the game with a 90.6 defensive grade and a 90.6 coverage grade on Pro Football Focus in 40 defensive snaps. This was the highest grade among any Lion who played at least ten snaps on Monday.
Many Lions fans may not have been familiar with Whiteside before Monday night. He spent last season with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the UFL, before signing with the Lions before the 2025 preseason. He played in all four preseason games for the Lions. Until the preseason finale where he got lit up against the Texans, Whiteside had a solid summer, but wasn't able to crack the 53-man roster. Three weeks ago, he was signed to the practice squad, and before the Week 6 matchup against the Chiefs, he was signed to the active roster. After this performance, he is not going anywhere.
Whiteside wasn't the only Lions backup who exceeded all expectations on Monday. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard deserves a ton of credit for getting a ton out of practice squad call-ups and new additions to the roster. Arthur Maulet, Thomas Harper, Erick Hallett, and Loren Strickland all played significant defensive snaps against the Bucs, and they all held their own despite their limited experience and familiarity.
Maulet and Rock Ya-Sin both suffered injuries and left the game early, adding to the injury concern on the secondary. The bye week will help the Lions get healthier, but Whiteside should still be able to find himself a role amid the long list of injuries.