3 Defensive Stats the Lions Must Improve Upon in 2020
Oddly enough, despite their head coach being a defensive-minded individual, the Detroit Lions struggled mightily on the defensive side of the ball a season ago.
They gave up the second-most total yards, the most passing yards and the seventh most points per game.
Overall, the defense had very few bright spots or silver linings.
Meanwhile, the Darrell Bevell-led offense did their best to carry the team a majority of the season -- even more so with quarterback Matthew Stafford under center.
Obviously, in order for the Lions to turn things around in 2020, the defense must improve.
Here are three key areas in which the Lions need to find a way to get better:
1.) Sacks
The Lions only had a total of 28 sacks in 2019 -- tied for the second-fewest in the league.
While rushing only three defenders on passing plays more than any other team in the NFL, it’s not surprising the Lions struggled in this department.
Injuries played a huge role in the underwhelming performance of the defensive line as well.
With a few additions on the edge and in the interior, the Lions will have to find a way to get to the quarterback, or the defense will continue to struggle.
In a pass-happy league, a strong pass-rushing unit is paramount.
2.) Interceptions
Detroit was tied for the fewest number of interceptions (seven), even though they faced the second-most pass attempts in the NFL last season.
It doesn’t help that the pass-rush was nonexistent, but the revamped secondary needs to come away with more turnovers.
There is a high correlation between creating turnovers and win percentages.
Gone are Darius Slay, Rashaan Melvin, Quandre Diggs and Tavon Wilson.
Subsequently, offseason acquisitions Desmond Trufant, Jeff Okudah and Duron Harmon will have to step up to the plate.
However, with a limited pass-rush and a man-heavy scheme, it could just be more of the same.
3.) Post-Snap Penalties
The Lions actually did a decent job of limiting pre-snap penalties.
Their five pre-snap defensive penalties were tied for third-fewest in the league.
However, committing a total of 42 defensive accepted penalties means that there were plenty of issues once the play started.
During the play, the Lions' defense had a flag thrown and accepted 37 times against them -- tied for eighth-most.
Given that 88.1 percent of their accepted defensive penalties came after the ball was snapped, it was the third-highest percentage in the NFL.
For a defense that already has its fair share of struggles, it can’t give opposing offenses a free down or a second opportunity.
Now, on the surface, the questionable calls rarely seem to go the Lions' way, but it’s a reality that they are going to have to find a way to overcome.
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Former Lions QB Josh Johnson is Co-Founder of Esports Media Company
