Lions' First-Quarter Defensive Grades
The first quarter of the 2020 season has been completed, and the Detroit Lions' defense has woefully underperformed.
Just in terms of raw stats, head coach Matt Patricia’s defense has allowed the sixth-most total yards, the fifth-most yards per play and tied for the most first downs.
Outside of the defense's four interceptions -- tied for sixth-most in the NFL with seven other teams -- there are very few bright spots on the defensive side of the ball.
Going into the bye week, the Lions have plenty to work on if there is any chance for Patricia to keep his job.
In saying that, let’s grade the defensive position groups based on how they have performed so far this year.
Spoiler: It’s not pretty.
Defensive line
Looking at solely the defensive tackles and down defensive ends -- as the JACK backer is technically a linebacker in this scheme -- there might not be a more disappointing unit.
Detroit general manager Bob Quinn replaced defensive tackles Damon Harrison, A’Shawn Robinson and Mike Daniels with free-agent acquisitions Danny Shelton and Nick Williams plus sixth-round draft pick John Penisini.
Returning players were key cogs, such as Trey Flowers, Da’Shawn Hand and Romeo Okwara.
Now, pass-rushing has never been a strength or even emphasized under Patricia, and the 2020 season has been no different.
Oddly enough, it’s Okwara who leads the team in the sack department, with just two quarterback takedowns.
Even with Okwara, the Lions are struggling mightily in beating offensive linemen in one-on-one passing reps.
Rushing the quarterback isn’t the worst part.
On a defense that is supposed to be able to stop the run, the Lions have also been one of the worst teams in the league defending the ground game.
Some of the blame can be placed on the linebackers, as well. But, Detroit’s defense has allowed the third-most yards against the run, the second-most first downs and is giving up a whopping 5.2 yards per carry.
It’s been a common theme every week with the defensive line getting pushed around.
All in all, the D-line hasn’t been able to get to the quarterback, and isn’t stopping the run, either.
So, what is it good at?
Grade: D-
Linebackers
Yet, another position with an offseason overhaul.
For starters, it appears longtime MIKE backer Jarrad Davis is being phased out of the defense.
Last year’s second-round pick Jahlani Tavai played plenty in the first three weeks, but was relegated to just nine snaps in Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints.
With the high draft picks not being on the field, it has left newcomers Jamie Collins and Reggie Ragland, along with veteran Christian Jones, to pick up the slack at all of the linebacker positions -- JACK, WILL and MIKE.
To an extent, Collins and Ragland have held up well, relative to the rest of the defense.
They both have made some plays, while also making their fair share of mistakes.
Even Davis has been better than years past in his limited role, but that’s not exactly saying much.
Meanwhile, Jones continues to do nothing special, and Tavai has not been good, either.
Perhaps the linebackers' biggest issue has been tackling -- or lack thereof.
Collins, Davis, Jones and Tavai are all in the bottom 20 of the 81 qualified off-ball linebackers in tackling efficiency, according to Pro Football Focus.
On a positive note, Ragland has yet to miss a tackle.
Ragland’s five quarterback pressures are also third-most on the team.
No matter the case, the linebackers need to play much better as a whole.
In Patricia’s gap-control scheme, it is not easy on the linebacker when the defensive linemen are getting pushed around up front.
I’d be remiss not to mention 2020 third-round pick Julian Okwara.
But, his 25 total defensive snaps as a hybrid, JACK defensive end have made next-to-no impact.
Grade: D+
Cornerbacks
Continuing the trend of new faces, the cornerback room is no exception.
Gone are starters from last year in Darius Slay and Rashaan Melvin.
Free-agent acquisition Desmond Trufant and third overall pick Jeff Okudah were brought in to pick up the slack.
So far, the swap has been frankly awful.
Pro Football Focus ranks both players in the bottom four of 126 qualified cornerbacks in the entire NFL.
Regarding Okudah, it’s common for a rookie to struggle, and he does have an impressive interception on the year.
He just still has a long way to go at this point.
It’s fair to want more from a top-three pick.
However, none of the other possible selections in this past draft for the Lions have done much on their respective teams, either.
The talent is there for Okudah; hence, the reason for being selected so high. And hopefully, he can become more consistent sooner than later.
In the slot, the highly-paid Justin Coleman only played 19 snaps in Week 1 before going down with a hamstring injury.
Darryl Roberts has been filling in for Coleman, and has performed about as well as you would expect for a backup.
The most reliable corner on the team has been second-year player Amani Oruwariye.
Maybe not necessarily playing great, but he has held his own considering the circumstances.
Give him credit for developing and earning a starting spot.
Very important to note, these Lions corners may be in the worst situation in the entire league.
Take their play with a grain of salt, as it might not be a great example of their talent.
Being asked to predominantly play man-to-man when there isn’t a semblance of a pass rush is extremely difficult in the NFL.
Grade: D
Safeties
In an interesting move, the Lions decided that Will Harris should start over Tracy Walker in the first two weeks of the season.
Patricia utilizes plenty of three-safety sets, but taking one of your few remaining playmakers off the field is a bold move.
In the last two weeks, Walker has played 100 percent of the snaps.
Unfortunately, Walker hasn’t been able to live up to the high expectations he had going into the season, either. No matter the case, though, Walker makes more plays than Harris.
Harris has been a mismatch, favoring the offense in coverage, and has missed a few tackles. As a former third-round pick, he needs to turn things around in a hurry to avoid that bust label.
On a positive note, the trade for Duron Harmon has been as advertised.
Manning the deep free safety position, Harmon has been reliable in coverage.
His 35.4 passer rating when targeted is the third best in the NFL at the position.
He is also a team leader, and is vocal with his displeasure about the defensive play.
Lastly, Jayron Kearse returned from his suspension, and logged 10 snaps in his Honolulu Blue debut against the Saints.
It’s too small of a sample size to really take anything away from his play.
From a grade standpoint, it’s a tough one.
Harmon has been solid, Walker has underperformed, but has at least had a nose for the football. And Harris has been on the wrong end of a handful of plays.
Overall, the play has been below average, but it hasn't been the worst of the Lions' defense, either.
Grade: C-
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