One of the biggest issues plaguing the Detroit Lions throughout this season is their pass rush unit. Over the last three games, the Lions’ defense has struggled to bring down opposing teams' quarterbacks, accumulating only two sacks, which is far fewer than head coach Dan Campbell & Co. would like to see.
In their seven-point Thanksgiving loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Lions did not sack Jordan Love once and had two quarterback hits. That lack of pressure hurt Detroit as Love threw for 234 yards and tossed four touchdown passes.
Following the game, Campbell was asked about his team’s pass rush or lack thereof, but he mentioned how the Packers did a good job of getting the ball out quickly. At the same time, Campbell highlighted three plays that the Lions had and discussed how they need to be better.
“On those three plays, we’ve gotta be better. We’ve got to find a way to get there,” Campbell said via Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit. “The guys who have a one-on-one have to show up and have to become disruptive faster than we were the other night on those because it will make a difference.”
Lions’ Pass Rush Must Step Up During Final Five Games
Lions fans would’ve hoped that defensive end Marcus Davenport would make a difference in his first game back from injury on Thanksgiving, but that was a failure. Davenport couldn't even log a single pressure on 17 pass rush snaps, per Pro Football Focus, leading to a grade of 53.5 in that area.
Granted, it was his first game back since Week 2, so you hope he shows you more in the Lions' upcoming games against the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams. At the same time, the margin of error for this unit in particular is thin, as Detroit general manager Brad Holmes made no significant additions in the offseason or at the trade deadline to add more depth or at least find another starter to play opposite Aidan Hutchinson.
The Lions thought they had something with Al-Quadin Muhammad, who got off to a blistering start, racking up 12 quarterback hits, six sacks, and four tackles for loss in his first eight games. However, in his last four games, Muhammad has recorded no sacks, tackles for loss, or QB hits, but only five combined tackles, which is not a good performance. Meanwhile, Hutchinson posted 16 QB hits, seven tackles for loss, and seven sacks in Detroit’s first eight games.
But his production has taken a considerable drop over the last four games – eight quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.
Needless to say, the Lions will need those two guys to step it up because we’ve seen this Lions’ secondary give up big plays in the passing games recently, and it won’t get easier against talented quarterbacks like Dak Prescott, Matt Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, and Caleb Williams.
If the Lions can’t get home against Prescott, Stafford, or even Rodgers, they will make you pay, and that will not be good for anyone on the defense. The Cowboys and Rams both possess one of the best WR duos, which will put immense pressure on D.J. Reed, Terrion Arnold, and Amik Robertson, the latter of whom has struggled lately. Even Williams can make Detroit pay with his mobility.
At this point in the regular season, the Lions can’t make a huge addition to their pass rush. Their chance was earlier this month when they saw Jaelen Phillips get moved to the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, they're left with internal options and everyone's free-agent leftovers.
They’re stuck with what they got, which means there will be pressure on defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard to get something out of this group. Every game from here on out is a must-win.