With the Detroit Lions on the brink of elimination, they need several players to step up in the final two weeks. Detroit no longer controls its own destiny, needing a win in each of the final two games and the Green Bay Packers to lose each of their final two games to get into the playoffs.
Usually, this means players in reserve roles come forward to try to be a hero. But in the case of defensive back Avonte Maddox, the Lions just want him to play as he did earlier in the season.
Maddox has stepped in for injured safety Kerby Joseph and did well initially, but his recent performance has left a lot to be desired. With the Lions' defense struggling to stop anyone in recent weeks, Maddox has gone from hero to scapegoat, and he may be the player that many thought he was when he joined Detroit this past offseason.
Avonte Maddox’s Rough Game May Have Changed the Lions’ Season
Maddox came to Detroit looking for a reboot after his final two seasons in Philadelphia. While Maddox was a serviceable player during the 2021 and 2022 seasons with a Pro Football Focus grade over 70.0, his performance plummeted to a 44.8 grade in 2023 and a 61.9 grade in 2024. Grades don't always tell the full story, but it's clear that his career was trending in the wrong direction.
A big reason for his issues was his performance in coverage, where he allowed a career 98.6 passer rating on 365 career targets. The 2023 season also represented rock bottom, allowing 19 catches for 261 yards and a touchdown with two pass breakups on 23 targets sandwiched around a torn pectoral muscle suffered early in the season.
While the majority of his snaps came as a slot corner, the Lions had the idea to use him more as a safety. The move worked out well as Maddox could fill in if disaster struck at the safety position with Brian Branch, but he still had the versatility to move into the slot in case something happened to Amik Robertson. Unfortunately, both scenarios happened at the same time, extending Maddox beyond his capabilities.
The fill-in role worked great for the first two weeks as Maddox played the strong safety position. While being stout in coverage, allowing two catches on four targets for eight yards with three pass breakups, he was serviceable with 14 total tackles and just two misses in a win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14 and a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15.
But in a Week 16 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers that the Lions had to have, Maddox’s previous form pulled up like the Grinch. Maddox allowed all four of his targets to be caught for 43 yards for a 111.5 passer rating. While he made four tackles, he whiffed on two attempts, allowing big plays to become even bigger ones for a defense that allowed 481 yards in Sunday’s 29-24 loss.
A few weeks ago, Maddox looked to be part of the solution. But after Sunday, he may be lucky to get another contract from the Lions at the end of the season. It’s a situation that could be a key decision if the injuries to Joseph and Branch linger into next year and may have changed the way Detroit looks at him as they look to keep their season alive.