Clearly, even to the untrained eye (such as mine), this defense is making serious stride over the last 4-5 weeks. I see players, especially LBs Anzalone and Barnes making better reads and plays. Other players as well, on the DL, and this defense is getting healthier.
My question for the brains on this board… “It seems there also must be some schematic adjustments that AG has made… can you help my understand? This defense is NOT playing like a 32nd ranked defense.
I saw a lot of stunts on the dline today, definitely some more emphasis on bringing some heat. The most frustrating two things.
Jags 3rd quarter forever drive. That was a place where they took the foot off the gas and it showed. Multiple opportunities to end that drive, but no real sense of urgency. They can’t afford to do that.
Inability to stop 4 yard rip runs. Jags had four yards for the taking all game long. Especially losing DE contain. A patient offense can rip this defense to shreds.
Overall a good effort. Linebackers were kept clean and given the chance to read and react instead of being caught in the trash. Secondary made some outstanding heady plays. PENALTIES were nonexistent, that’s huge.
Over the past 5 weeks, this defense is nowhere near bottom of the league.
They have definitely improved and are playing inspiring. I’m proud of the product they’re putting out.
But the jaguars played superrrr sloppy and uninspired. Lots of drops and penalties they made it easy for us to look good.
So I dug this up… over the last 5 weeks… the Lions defense is ranked 13th… it’s unclear to me if those stats do or do not include the ass-whooping we put on the Jags today.
Addition by subtraction. Once we got rid of TJ Hockenson, the defense improved. This isn’t rocket science.
Did Hutchinson get credit for a full sack, or was it a half a sack today?
Will Houston pass everyone in the next 5 games?
Honestly I think the improvements are in the secondary. The emergence of Joseph and I truly believe getting Jerry Jacobs back was huge. That boy can play. And with him and okudah finally coming into form… we are so much more physical in the back 7… we are actually disrupting timing.
So our biggest change is in the secondary…in the exact same timing as firing the secondary coach?
This is also what is kind of weird with our holmes and Campbell hires. Pleasant was well known by Holmes for his work with the rams. But AGs philosophy is very different. I felt like we were never in alignment in the staff. It was weird when we hired capers. It’s like half the staff including AG wants to run a 1 gap 4 man front playing a lot of cover 5… like he learned in NO. But then we added capers to teach a 3 man front, and a lb coach and secondary guys that are strong Fangio disciples. (Mostly quarters/ pattern matching)
The staff even commented that they wanted to mix some of the saints things and things from the rams. I don’t think it worked. I think AG has now been given a longer leash after getting rid of the ram connections. (Capers, deleone, pleasant) to do what he wants… Vs mixing philosophies.
Yay for us, not at the bottom anymore 
With this offense and a good defense we are division winners next year.
I have to admit Anzalone looked pretty good in this game, he is learning on the fly. The number of snaps he is getting is finally paying off. Although I still see some stat padding going on, he was still on the field with 1:40 left up 40 to 14, most teams would take their starters out at this point, he and Rodrigo were both still playing???
And your boy Barnes is growing in his recognition skills
only thing I can think of is our players were sick and tired of sitting out, watching their team fight, while they couldn’t touch the field or help, so they got focused and ready to destroy by the time they got healthy, they wanted to really show what they could do. I see extra effort and no quit, and WANT TO ! I think that covers it.
Part of it is that there not blitzing as much, and the front is actually playing better. Witch in turn helps the secondary and long with Jacobs back and the play of Kirby.
He’s 2nd in the nfl for sacks by a rookie in 17 snaps…wild!! So to answer your question, YES!!!
Holy shit balls!!! Cap just complimented Anzalone… I must be dreaming or the world is coming to an end, haha
Anyone that easily find out where the Lions sit in DVOA over the last 5-6 weeks?
LIONS DVOA SINCE WEEK 9
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) December 5, 2022
SIXTH OVERALL
10TH ON OFFENSE
SIXTH ON DEFENSE (!!!!!!!!!)
Teams that have been better than the Lions in DVOA since the beginning of November:
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) December 5, 2022
- 49ers
- Bengals
- Cowboys
- Bills
- Chiefs
END. OF. LIST.