Time for Matt Patricia to Take Over Defensive Play-Calling

Through eight games, the Lions' defense has proven time and time again that it can't stop anybody.

In Sunday's 31-24 loss in Oakland, Matt Patricia's defense allowed 450 total yards, including 171 yards on the ground and 279 through the air.

The Lions now rank 31st in yards allowed per game at 424.1 a game, as well as 30th in passing yards allowed per game at 288.4 per contest.

Completely unacceptable from any defense, let alone one led by a defensive-minded head coach.

And on top of that, the defense, remember, was going to be the team's strength going into the 2019 season.

Instead, the opposite has been true.

The defense has been the team's Achilles’ heel, while the offense has clearly been its strength led by a resurgent Matthew Stafford.

Paul Pasqualoni, as the Lions' defensive coordinator, has been the primary play-caller on defense up to the halfway point in the campaign.

Under his watch, the defense has gotten gradually worse as the season has progressed.

A change in play-calling on the defensive side of the ball undoubtedly needs to happen, yet it doesn't seem to be on the horizon.

“I’m concerned about the entire team," Patricia said during his Monday media session. "Certainly, I spend a lot of time on the defensive side of the ball, and I have the utmost confidence in Pasqualoni and the defensive staff to get the calls and the communication and get the game plan put together the way that we want to."

He added, "I think it’s important for me to continue to try to do my best as the head coach to manage the game and make sure I’m paying attention to all three phases and things that I see as the game goes on that needs to be either corrected or adjusted or just kind of confirmed or handled. So, I don’t really see any of that changing right now.”

Patricia made it clear Monday that he doesn't intend on stripping the defensive play-calling duties from his mentor Pasqualoni, whom he served under while Pasqualoni was the head man at Syracuse.

Yet, Patricia might not have a choice.

With each passing week, he's coaching more and more for his job in 2020.

His best chance of avoiding unemployment: Moving on from Pasqualoni and getting the defense righted before the end of the season.

But remember, this is the Lions that we're talking about, and the likelihood of Patricia making the aforementioned move -- the right move for himself and the organization -- is slim to none.

And if the Lions keep losing, he faces equally low odds of keeping his gig for next season.

More: Should the Lions Try Jarrad Davis on the Edge?

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