He’s definitely getting comfortable here.
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5, 16.7, 27.8
Gonna go ahead and get right to it: despite registering just a single tackle, sack, and forced fumble, Isaiah Buggs should earn legitimate consideration for the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 14.
From watching the game just once—and it being from the stands no less—it was pretty clear Buggs was making life difficult for the Vikings interior linemen. Digging into his premium stats was an eye-opener.
Buggs recorded five pressures (one sack, two hits, two hurries), a 16.7 pass rush productivity mark (PFF’s formula that combines sacks, hits and hurries relative to how many times they rush the passer), and a 27.8 percent pass rush win rate. For all three of those illustrative statistics of just how effective Buggs was at disrupting the middle of Minnesota’s offense, Buggs ranked first among all interior defensive linemen with at least 19 pass rushing snaps.
Detroit’s top priority last offseason was upgrading their defense, specifically finding playmakers wherever they could. There’s nothing that can torpedo an offensive game plan quite like an effective pass rush, and Detroit has started to find its footing over the past few weeks. While rookies Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston are turning heads with their sacks, Buggs, a free agent signing in late July, has emerged as a key piece to the Lions pass rush.
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He’s on a 1 year deal, would like to see him extended with serious dough tied to escalators.
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There are a lot of soon to be FA’s I’d love to resign and its hard to judge their contract value. Cominsky, Elliot, Buggs, Anzalone, and Will Harris are all defenders I would re-sign if the price was right. Elliot is likely the most expensive with Harris probably being the cheapest. The only one I would expect to start in 2023 is Elliot (assuming Walker isn’t ready). Even so I feel out depth would take a massive hit losing some of these guys.
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I think it’s important to keep within the framework that the defense got torched for over 400 yards, allowed Jefferson over 200 alone, and got very fortunate with a goal line turnover and the ref calling Jefferson out of bounds, and a key Hockenson drop that killed a drive on a perfectly delivered sideline pass.
I don’t want to be Debbie Downer, but there’s definite room for improvement. The clutch plays were awesome, but not a recipe for continued success. I think it’s clear that opposing offensive coordinators are looking for anytime Amani O is inserted into the game like Bruce Wayne waiting for the Bat signal when things are going south, and calling appropriately. The pendulum on this game too easily could have swung in the wrong direction.
Shutting the running game down was important, and a great sign. The week prior, Jacksonville could have ripped off four yard runs the entire game as outside contain was lost. This week, despite the sacks, Cousins looked entirely too comfortable, and on many occasions was able to quickly get the ball out due to poor coverage.
I definitely think that AO doesn’t need to see the field, and is a key replacement target for the offseason. A multitude of people took turns ineffectively covering Hockenson, that should be an area to upgrade. A more consistent pass rush would help. Clutch is great, consistency is better. Hopefully Houston can make some strides there, because 4 sacks with a sack in every contest is proving to be more than a fluke. Kid needs to be on the field more. Comiskey has shown great motor, Buggs too definitely, still feels like there’s a missing element there. Hutchinson has been fantastic.
Definitely don’t want to take away from Buggs, or the defense standing tall when their backs were to the wall, but I also see a long way to go before I rate this unit as consistently dependable, and I think that some key, veteran additions, whether free agents or trade, can help a lot.
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Great post & great perspective, man.
Nothing Downer about it…just observation.
I agree. We have a lot of serviceable-to-good players that will be resigned if the price is right.
One friggin’ guy to apply interior pressure will literally transform the entire Defense.
…then inject a LB and CB upgrade…Kapow!!!