Lions Failed in the Trenches at Worst Possible Time

The Lions failed to bring their “A game” in their divisional-round playoff loss to the Commanders Saturday night.

Among a myriad of issues, Detroit struggled mightily in the trenches. Dan Campbell's squad failed to sufficiently generate pressure against Commanders rookie phenom passer Jayden Daniels. Plus, it came up short in consistently providing veteran signal-caller Jared Goff with a clean pocket.

The Lions were unable to record a single sack of Daniels, who had the ability to do as he pleased all night long against Aaron Glenn's defense. He proceeded to fully exploit Detroit's injury-plagued cornerbacks group, completing 22-of-31 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns. Plus, he produced a highly impressive 91.8 QBR and a sterling 122.9 passer rating.

Glenn's unit simply had no answer for the dual-threat quarterback, and it at least partially stemmed from his group's inability to create a respectable pass-rush.

Throughout the regular season, Detroit also experienced its fair share of struggles with getting after the quarterback. Most glaringly, EDGE Aidan Hutchinson managed to lead all Lions defenders in sacks for the season (7.5), even though he never played a down of football after Week 6.

And once Hutchinson went down with his season-ending injury (broken tibia and fibula), Detroit's pass-rushing unit ceased to remain even semi-respectable.

Now, I know you can make the argument that fellow EDGE Za'Darius Smith was a decent trade deadline acquisition (four sacks in nine total games). He did aid the Lions' pass-rushing efforts. However, he wasn't good enough to carry the load in the place of Hutchinson, and shouldn't be confused for one of the game's premium pass-rushers.

Undoubtedly, general manager Brad Holmes needs to make a concerted effort to upgrade the team's pass-rushing department this offseason.

On Saturday night, Campbell & Co. also weren't good enough on the other side of the line: the offensive line. For as good as the offensive line was throughout the regular season, it was far from productive enough against the Commanders. It failed to sufficiently protect Goff, playing a role in the seasoned quarterback's dismal three-interception performance.

Most notably, Graham Glasgow had an extremely rough night. The 32-year-old had a disastrous evening from a pass-blocking standpoint, and ended up receiving a 10.2 pass-blocking mark from Pro Football Focus for his efforts. He also finished the divisional playoff tilt with the second-lowest overall grade for a Lions offensive performer (53.0). Only Goff's PFF overall grade was worse (45.5).

It was a microcosm of the left guard's 2024 campaign. In 1,080 offensive snaps this past season, the Michigan product allowed a staggering 36 pressures, and recorded a PFF overall grade of just 57.9.

At this juncture, the veteran offensive lineman's best days might be behind him. And although Glasgow is under contract for another two years, Detroit would be wise to look for a younger, more productive option at left guard this offseason.

Additionally, Lions starting right guard Kevin Zeitler, who was sidelined against the Commanders with a hamstring injury, will be a free agent at season's end. And although he was productive in 2024 (86.8 overall grade), he will be 35 entering the 2025 season, and there's no guarantee that he will be brought back.

Once again, Detroit's play in the trenches wasn't nearly good enough vs. Washington. And Holmes should be looking to add reinforcements to both sides of the line this upcoming offseason.