Detroit Jock City
Fansided

Lions Must Bench Struggling Defender vs. Commanders

By Cem Yolbulan

Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46), Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson (21) and Detroit Lions linebacker Trevor Nowaske (53) react after a play Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, during a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46), Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson (21) and Detroit Lions linebacker Trevor Nowaske (53) react after a play Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, during a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
facebooktwitterreddit

The Detroit Lions are getting ready to take on the Washington Commanders in the NFC wild-card round of the playoffs. After having the first-round bye to rest and regroup, the Lions start their journey with the hopes of making the Super Bowl.

Per FanDuel Sportsbook, the Lions are favorites to win the Super Bowl at +290. They are also overwhelming 8.5-point favorites against the Commanders on Saturday.

At the same time, the Lions have a few rotation decisions they need to make for Saturday and beyond. That is especially the case on the defensive side of the ball.

The Lions have been decimated by injuries all season. The defensive line looks completely different than it did at the start of the season following the injuries to Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill. In addition, Malcolm Rodriguez and Carlton Davis also landed on the injured reserve, forcing head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to find solutions throughout the season.

They have largely done an excellent job on that front, leading the Lions to allow the seventh-fewest points in the league and rank as the fifth-best defensive unit per Pro Football Focus.

It's obvious that the Lions largely pressed the right buttons defensively all season, but one rotation decision hasn't proved to be effective so far. Trevor Nowaske, who has seen an increased role this season amidst the injury absences, has been very disappointing for the Lions so far.

Nowaske has appeared in 14 games this season and has had a consistently large defensive role since Week 6. In the 332 defensive snaps he played, he has a 52.1 grade on PFF. He ranks as the 110th-best player in his position among 118 qualified edge defenders.

In the final week of the season, Nowaske saw 15 snaps as the outside linebacker and got a miserable 41.6 coverage grade on PFF.

Considering how little experience Nowaske has, it may be wise for the Lions to minimize his snaps in the postseason. Now that Detroit is healthier than they have been all season with the return of Alex Anzalone and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, they don't need to rely on Nowaske, which should make a positive impact on Detroit's defense.

More Lions news and rumors:

feed

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Home/Detroit Lions