Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Lions Links for Tuesday 10-6-26

Articles:

NFC NORTH: Where all four teams stand heading into Week 5:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/nfc-north-where-all-four-teams-stand-heading-into-week-5

KEY QUESTIONS: What was Campbell's biggest takeaway from Sunday night's film?:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/key-questions-what-was-campbell-s-biggest-takeaway-from-sunday-night-s-film





After Six Years, Dan Campbell Has Been "Lionized":  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/after-six-years-dan-campbell-has-been-lionized

Injured Detroit Lions OL Could Return to Practice This Week:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/cade-mays-could-return-to-practice-this-week








What if the Lions eliminated their mistakes against Carolina? We simulated Dan Campbell’s ‘little things’ argument:  https://atozsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions-news/what-if-the-lions-eliminated-their-mistakes-against-carolina-we-simulated-dan-campbells-little-things-argument/

Lions Film Study: Why the Lions’ defense slipped into the seventh circle of hell on third down against the Panthers:  https://atozsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions-news/lions-film-study-why-the-lions-defense-slipped-into-the-seventh-circle-of-hell-on-third-down-against-the-panthers/

Kelvin Sheppard’s Defense Does Something Unseen Since 2008 and Gives the Lions a Shudder:  https://athlonsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions/kelvin-sheppards-defense-does-something-unseen-since-2008-and-gives-the-lions-a-shudder

The Lions Are Not Changing Coaches — So What Can Fix This Defense?:  https://athlonsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-defensive-coordinator-kelvin-sheppard-dan-campbell-defense

Detroit’s Defense Ranks Dead Last, and 3 Other Takeaways From Lions’ Loss to Panthers:  https://athlonsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-takeaways-week-4-panthers

Dan Campbell issues challenge to Lions' linebackers and DBs:  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/dan-campbell-lions-tight-ends

Dan Campbell: "We’re not going to be mediocre. I don’t accept that.":  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/dan-campbell-kelvin-sheppard

Lions' Campbell: 'A lot of our games are going to be this way':  https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/lions-campbell-a-lot-our-games-going-be-way

The Lions have the NFL's worst defense and coach Dan Campbell has no quick fixes:  https://www.wxyz.com/sports/the-lions-have-the-nfls-worst-defense-and-coach-dan-campbell-has-no-quick-fixes

Seven things Solak thinks: Jags are the AFC's best team? Ben Johnson for COTY? C.J. Stroud is back? (I think ... the Lions' defense has no immediate solution.  There's no way to watch a performance like the Lions' defensive outing Sunday night and not demand an explanation. Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan waltzed his way to career bests in receptions (14) and yardage (192) on 16 targets. No matter where the Panthers lined him up, he was open right away -- and even when quarterback Bryce Young went elsewhere with the football, the Lions' secondary offered little resistance. Young went 29-of-41 for 329 yards and two scores. By success rate, it was the third-best game of his career; by total EPA, it was second.  The one-sentence explanation of the Lions' defense under Kelvin Sheppard is their belief that pressure will hide their coverage deficiencies. Since the start of last season, the Lions are seventh in team pressure rate as a defense by Next Gen Stats' model -- and remember they were thin on the defensive line in 2025 with Al-Quadin Muhammad as the second edge rusher and Alim McNeill injured for much of the season. This season, the pass rush was supposed to be deeper and more effective. The Lions pressured Young on 40% of his dropbacks, which sounds good.  There are 1,063 games in the Next Gen Stats database (since 2016) in which a quarterback was pressured on at least 40% of his dropbacks. Young's game against the Lions, by dropback EPA, is the ninth-best game in that sample.  There simply is no accounting for this much air in the secondary. You could line up Lawrence Taylor opposite Aidan Hutchinson with Aaron Donald in the middle. Blitz Luke Kuechly and kick J.J. Watt inside as a defensive tackle. On pressured dropbacks, the Lions are still surrendering 0.08 EPA per dropback and 109.3 net passing yards per game. That 109.3 number is particularly terrifying -- it's twice as bad as any other team in the league through four weeks.  This is why I say there is no immediate solution. There will be some positive regression -- opposing quarterbacks have a completion percentage on pressured dropbacks 12.8 percentage points above expectation, and that number will fall as the Lions play more games. But with this much personnel deficiency in the defensive backfield, the return of Brian Branch (Achilles) off the physically unable to perform list will be like plugging a leak in a cheese grater. There's more holes on the other side.  It's easy to say that Sheppard should down turn the blitz rate. The Lions are at the league average in blitz rate, but sending additional rushers dramatically improves their sack rate (6.5% to 11.6%) and pressure rate (28.4% to 47.4%). Because the coverage is so poor, only free runners are quick enough to get to the quarterback before the ball comes out. The Lions don't blitz because they trust their five or six remaining defenders in coverage -- they blitz to try to force the ball out hot, so the quarterback doesn't have time to exploit those defenders.  It didn't work, of course -- Young has a super-quick release and throws easily from bad platforms. The Lions could try to get up at the line of scrimmage and challenge more receivers with physicality to delay the time to throw ... in fact, they did multiple times against the Panthers! (It didn't matter.)  Don't get me wrong, the Lions have major coaching problems. They lost to the same RPO several times on the night -- before and after they benched rookie LB Jimmy Rolder, who was being targeted on the concept. They want to run more match coverages (cornerback D.J. Reed publicly advocated for more match defense after the loss), but they bust on match principles all the time. There's nothing about this pass defense that doesn't stink.  A fully healthy Branch, plus a decided leap in sack rate on all of these pressures, alongside another midseason defensive back acquisition (Broncos CB Riley Moss?) and the continued health of the defensive line ... and I could see the Lions' passing defense getting to average by the end of the season. That's with several things breaking right and no guarantee the Lions have remained in playoff contention over that time. Detroit is blessed with a generally light schedule that's particularly manageable over the next few weeks (at Arizona, bye week, vs. Packers, vs. Vikings, at Dolphins).  I've seen public musing that someone else besides Sheppard could be calling plays once we get out of the bye -- head coach Dan Campbell has never had an issue switching coordinators midseason. My response is: sure. A new voice probably would create a one- or two-week jolt of fresh ideas and renewed vigor. Then the cold reality of starting cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and safety Chuck Clark would set in again.  There isn't one fix here.):  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/50110488/week-5-seven-things-solak-thinks-afc-nfc

QB Accuracy Report: NFL Week 5 (9.  Jared Goff - PFF grade:  86.4):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-qb-accuracy-report

Ten NFL coaches who may be on the hot seat (6. Dan Campbell 
Seat temp. -- Room.  There's no denying Detroit's downward spiral since the departure of coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. The Lions are 11-10 since the start of the 2025 season.  Ironically, the Lions' offense has continued to perform at a high level since Johnson left town. The issue has been Detroit's defense, or lack thereof. No team has allowed more points this season than the Lions, who are also 32nd in the league in passing yards allowed, third-down efficiency and red zone efficiency.  Campbell did a masterful job restoring the roar in Detroit, but it's safe to wonder if they'll be able to get back to that point under his watch.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-head-coach-hot-seat-rankings-jim-harbaugh-todd-bowles/

Which NFL Coaches Are on the Hot Seat and Why More Jobs May Open Than You Expect (Again) (TIER IV: If the floor totally collapses, we may have a conversation on our hands - 11. Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions:  I don’t think Campbell will ever reap the proper amount of credit he deserves for reviving the Lions after the end of the Matt Patricia era. I think Campbell is one of the NFL’s “culture-first” CEO-type head coaches who actually has a track record of buy-in and an ability to generate a certain style of play and recognize when that standard has dropped off. He entered the season with the friendliest strength of schedule in the NFL, which was supposed to provide the foundation for a major turnaround. Now, his big test will be what happens in the wake of Sunday night’s loss to the Panthers, where Tetairoa McMillan demolished a beaten-down Lions secondary, which barely managed to steal the headline from a dominant rushing performance from the Panthers as well.  Help is on the way for Detroit, but this is Campbell’s moment to both break away from the growing optical heaviness of his record without Ben Johnson and to prove he has his finger on the pulse of the locker room. What we saw on Sunday, the disaffected faces of stars Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, can be infectious if not addressed. So far, Campbell has taken two separate opportunities to double down on his support of DC Kelvin Sheppard—a move that could either solidify his popularity in an alpha-heavy locker room, or, perhaps, show its limitations.):  https://www.si.com/nfl/coaches-hot-seat-more-jobs-open

How to fix the six biggest team-specific problems in the NFL right now (Detroit Lions (2-2) - The problem: Defense.  The Lions are last in total defense, now giving up on average 423.8 yards per game. They are the worst vs. the pass, giving up 304 yards per game. They are down to No. 21 against the run, giving up just shy of 120 yards per game. That's adding up to giving up a league-worst 31.8 points per game.  Aidan Hutchinson is playing at a high level all-around. But the other 10 guys starting, including linebacker Jack Campbell and cornerback D.J. Reed, have been awful. The few stops the Lions do get are often caused by a Hutchinson pressure or run stop.  Coach Dan Campbell has been right to point out that defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard isn't the problem when the personnel is a mixed bag of journeymen and youngsters. The talent is lacking, which comes with paying a ton to Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Penei Sewell and Jameson Williams as the offensive cornerstones.  The solution: Bring back Jim Schwartz  Sheppard has been dealt a bad hand. His previous work replacing Aaron Glenn says he can produce better defensive results. But the Lions need some help in trying to maximize Hutchinson and some underachieving personal.  It would make sense to reach out to Schwartz, the former Lions head coach, for at least some defensive consulting work if the intention is to retain Sheppard.That situation has worked for the Broncos' defense, who brought back Vance Joseph as the straight-up defensive coordinator. Schwartz did great work with Myles Garrett and the Browns and at 60, he should be back in the NFL somewhere. Detroit needs a helping hand from an old friend and they are fortunate to field the necessary base 4-3 front to make it happen.):  https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/chargers-offense-lions-defense-nfl-teams-biggest-problems/b1ab50262e97a10f1420e1ca


NFC power rankings for NFL Week 5: Big changes in NFC South (9. Detroit Lions (Prev: 6) - Last week: at Carolina Panthers, L 32-26.  Next week: at Arizona, Sun., Oct. 11, 4:25 p.m. ET.  Jared Goff threw for 412 yards, but Detroit lost because its defense couldn’t get off the field. Carolina scored on six straight possessions. The Lions have now allowed at least 30 points in three of four games, and they’re giving up a league-worst 31.8 points per game.  Head coach Dan Campbell shut down questions about defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard’s job. “I’m not talking about all that,” Campbell said. “I’m talking about getting better right now with what we’ve got.” He also pointed to a defense that forced no turnovers. “We got no takeaways. We have to get takeaways,” Campbell said.  Detroit drops three spots. Jahmyr Gibbs scored his seventh touchdown of the season, and Arizona’s defense has allowed 30 or more points in three straight games.):  https://www.thebiglead.com/nfc-power-rankings-nfl-week-5-big-changes-nfc-south-falcons-panthers-saints/

Report card grades for all 16 NFC teams in NFL Week 4 (Detroit Lions: B-.  The Lions just can’t seem to win the big game under the bright lights. A big game against the Panthers, and with all of these weapons, the team can’t get it done. Is it a coaching issue? The NFC North is shaping up to be a two-headed race with the Vikings and Bears. Jared Goff struggles in the big moment as they fall in Carolina.):  https://www.thebiglead.com/report-card-grades-nfc-teams-nfl-week-4-2026/

Dan Campbell’s latest coaching blunder is just one of many:  https://www.thebiglead.com/campbell-coaching-blunder-one-of-many/

The numbers behind every NFL quarterback-receiver partnership:  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-qb-receiver-partnerships

QB Rankings:

QB Stock Market Week 5: Brock Purdy Doesn't Have An MVP Moment — And Doesn't Need One (10. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions - Previous ranking: 8) (10-6-26):  https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/qb-stock-market-week-5-brock-purdy-doesnt-have-mvp-moment-doesnt-need-one

Power Rankings:


Cardinals Media:

Hunter Long, Paris Johnson Jr. Placed On Injured Reserve:  https://www.azcardinals.com/news/hunter-long-paris-johnson-jr-placed-on-injured-reserve

After Paris Johnson Injury, Cardinals Sign Veteran Jedrick Wills:  https://www.azcardinals.com/news/after-paris-johnson-injury-cardinals-sign-veteran-jedrick-wills


Video:

Will a CB trade even be enough to fix the Lions defense?:  https://sports.yahoo.com/videos/cb-trade-even-enough-fix-202351786.html




Posted by LionsFan at 8:51 PM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
.main-inner .sidebar .Poll { background-color: #AD966C; padding: 15px; }