When the Detroit Lions’ 2024 schedule was first released, the team’s Week 5 bye week was met with some understandable reservations.
Most teams like midseason bye. Coaches have enough of a sample size for a proper self-scout. Players can mentally split the season into two parts. But given some of the injuries to the team, amid a strong 3-1 start, this team doesn’t seem to mind it anymore.
“I do think it’s coming at a good time,” Dan Campbell said of the bye week on Monday night. “And it’s good to get the three. It’s good to get to 3-1 with this bye. We rest up, we heal up, we get fresh again, and then we make a big push.”
That’s certainly the goal in a season like this. But before then, let’s recap the month that was, about a quarter into the season.
Offense
There are two ways to characterize this Detroit Lions offense: underachieving but trending in the right direction.
That’s largely because of the standard that’s been set under offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The Lions have back-to-back top-5 finishes in scoring offense and yards per game. They’ve been one of the league’s most efficient offenses in 2022, but haven’t looked like it early on in 2024.
Detroit ranked fourth in yards per game at nearly 400 yards, but was just 16th in points per game (20.7), 17th in points per drive (1.88) and 26th in red-zone efficiency (38.5 percent), per TruMedia. While the run game had been successful during that stretch (fourth in offensive EPA per rush from Weeks 1-3), there were times it felt they got away from it too much. In Weeks 1 and 2, Detroit’s rush rate of 40.3 percent was the 10th lowest in the NFL. That, and a 1-of-7 performance in the red zone, proved particularly costly in a loss to the Buccaneers.
It’s amazing what one game can do for an offense. After a slow start to the year, the Detroit Lions offense is back on track.
Look at the numbers now and you’ll see an offense rounding into form. The Lions are fourth in yards per game (397), fourth in yards per play (6.1), tied for sixth in scoring offense (26 points per game), eighth in points per drive (2.36), 16th in red-zone efficiency (55.6 percent). They’ve committed to the run each of the last two games, with a rush rate of 60.2 percent in those weeks (2nd-highest). It’s been a winning recipe, allowing Jared Goff to settle into a rhythm.
Goff was off to an uncharacteristic start but got back on track against the Seahawks in Week 4. He was a perfect 18-of-18 in the game, setting a new NFL record for most pass attempts without an incompletion. He added 293 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and even a receiving touchdown. For the season, he’s thrown for 1,015 yards (fifth-most), five touchdowns and four interceptions. Not the best start, but the expectation is he’ll continue to settle in.
David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs rank 13th and 14th, respectively, in rushing yards. As a team, the Lions rank third in offensive EPA per rush (0.11) and sixth in rushing yards per game (151.3). Montgomery came into training camp in excellent shape and looks even more explosive than last year. Gibbs continues to add value in the run and passing game, and has been close to breaking off a few big runs. Campbell thinks he’s due for one.
“There were about probably three runs in there yesterday that are this close to going all the way, and it’s been like that every week,” Campbell said Tuesday. “There’s been more and more of these that are this close. So, I would anticipate he’s about to really take off. He’s coming on.”
Through four weeks, the Lions have two of the top-20 leading receivers. Amon-Ra St. Brown is off to another strong start with 27 receptions (tied for third in the NFL) for 252 yards (16th) and two touchdowns. However, the more impressive story has been the emergence of Jameson Williams. He leads the Lions and ranks 11th in receiving yards with 289 in four games. He’s tied for seventh with five receptions of 20 or more yards. Among players with at least 15 targets, Williams ranks 8th in air yards per target (13.92), second in yards after catch per reception (12), first in yards per reception (22). Per TruMedia, Williams has yet to drop a pass this season.
His growth has been exactly what the Lions expected when he showed up for OTAs in May, with Campbell calling him “a man on a mission.” He certainly looks like one these days.
“Everything starts with him first,” Campbell said Tuesday. “He’s done an outstanding job of rehabbing, getting over the injury, he had to deal with what came with the gambling and the time off, and then he got hurt in camp before that happened and then he’s coming back. …He’s been so raw to it and just learning and working his way through it. He’s just matured so much. He’s matured and he’s worked and he’s grinded and he wants it. He wants to get the coaching, he wants to get better and so that’s a credit to him that he’s open and he’s coachable and he’s about the team.”
It’s been a bit of a slow start for Sam LaPorta, who’s tied for 11th in receiving yards (147) and 15th in receptions (12) among tight ends. However, LaPorta didn’t practice for much of training camp, then dealt with an ankle injury in Week 3. A week off should do him well, and it’s only a matter of time before he’s more involved. Week 4 was a step in the right direction with four receptions for 53 yards.
The Lions’ offensive line hasn’t been as dominant in pass protection so far as it’s been in years past, but it’s still been more than solid. The Lions have allowed a sack rate of 5.3 percent (seventh in the NFL) and a pressure rate of 31.9 percent (13th). The Lions were working in a new right guard in Kevin Zeitler and a new left guard in Graham Glasgow (who moved from left to right), so some rust was expected. They played Seattle without All-Pro center Frank Ragnow (pec), but the hope is that he’ll return shortly after the bye week. All things considered, not much to worry about with this unit. They’re still creating lanes in the run game and keeping Goff upright at a high rate.
Defense
Detroit’s defense got off to a hot start and is one of the main reasons the team is 3-1 heading into the bye week. When the offense was struggling, the defense was there to pick it up — allowing 20, 13 and 20 points the first three weeks of the season. They were keeping the team afloat and in ball games through the first three weeks, with the offense finally clicking in Week 4. It just so happened to coincide with Detroit’s worst defensive performance of the season, allowing 29 points (two of those via a safety by the offense) and 516 yards against the Seahawks in Week 4.
Here’s how much one game can drop you in the rankings when you’re only four games into the year:
- Total defense through three weeks: 10th (293.3)
- Total defense through four weeks: 22nd (349.0)
- Yards per play through three weeks: 13th (5.1)
- Yards per play through four weeks: 22nd (5.5)
The Lions still rank 10th in the league at a respectable 20.5 points per game allowed. Certainly hasn’t been perfect, but they’ve held their own. What we saw in the first month of the season is a defensive more aligned with what Aaron Glenn wants to do. Compare some of the numbers from Weeks 1-4 this year vs. last year and you’ll see the vision.
Detroit’s blitz rate from Weeks 1-4 in 2023 was 19.3 percent, good for 29th in the league. Glenn is a coordinator that likes to dial up a well-timed blitz, but got away from that as he adjusted to the personnel at his disposal. That’s no longer the case, though. That number is up to 29.3 percent this year — a 10 percent bump, ranking 13th overall.
As expected, the Lions are playing far more man coverage to start the 2024 season compared to the beginning of the 2023 season. They played man coverage 18.2 percent of the time in the first four weeks of the 2023 season, per TruMedia, which ranked 24th overall. This year, they’re playing man 34.9 percent of the time — sixth-highest through four weeks.
Detroit’s outside corners, Carlton Davis III and Terrion Arnold, fit the mold of what Glenn looks for. However, the results have been mixed. Davis and Arnold are two of the most penalized players in the league. Arnold ranks second in penalties with eight in four games. Davis ranks 11th with four. Of those 12 combined flags, eight have been for defensive pass interference. Some of that is a rookie adjusting to the NFL. Some of it is physical matchups against physical receivers. Some were simply tough calls. But the hope is that the corners settle in and those penalties even out. More often than not, they’ve been well-positioned and stickier in coverage than corners deployed in past years. Meanwhile, their safeties, Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, have been excellent.
We’ve also seen a change in Detroit’s use of nickel vs. 4-3. A year ago, the Lions were in nickel 67.9 percent of the time — 16th among teams. This year, that number is just 48 percent — 28th in the league. While the Lions still ranked second in 4-3 rate last year, that figure was 27.9 percent. This year, that number is up to 40.1 percent. No team has played more 4-3 than the Lions.
A lot of that is a product of the Lions working to get their best 11 on the field. That includes Derrick Barnes and Branch. Both were subject to rotations last year. But with Barnes taking on a full-time role as SAM linebacker and Branch playing safety in addition to nickel, it’s allowed the Lions to keep both of them on the field more often. That’s their best defensive look, and the numbers back it. Detroit averages 4.9 yards per play when Branch and Barnes are on the field together, which would rank seventh in the NFL this season. Without them, the Lions defense falls to 32nd (6.4 yards per play). With Barnes (knee) placed on injured reserve and Branch out with an illness Monday night, you saw some of the issues without them, en route to a 516-yard performance for the Seahawks.
As for the strength of this Detroit defense, it starts up front. Aidan Hutchinson has ascended to true stardom. He leads the league in sacks (6.5), pressures (40) and pass-rush win rate (35.4 percent) — three of the key statistics when evaluating the performance of a pass rusher. Against the Buccaneers, he recorded a career-high 4.5 sacks. Against the Seahawks, he recorded a career-high 15 pressures. He’s gotten better and better every year. He’s been aided by a well-rounded defensive line that also features Levi Onwuzurike (fifth-most pressures among interior defenders) and a pair of do-it-all tackles in Alim McNeill and DJ Reader. The loss of edge rusher Marcus Davenport (elbow — out for the year) stings, but the Lions hope they have enough depth to make up for it between Josh Paschal, Mekhi Wingo and others.
And finally, Detroit’s linebackers have been as steady as they come. Former first-round pick Jack Campbell appears to be taking the leap before our eyes. He’s tied for seventh among linebackers with four tackles for a loss. His PFF stop percentage of 10.3 percent ranks 19th among qualified linebackers. He’s fitting the run well on tape and contributing to a top-5 run defense. Campbell just looks like a far more comfortable player in his second season. In a room that features a veteran captain in Alex Anzalone, solid depth pieces in Malcolm Rodriguez and Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Barnes when he returns from injured reserve, the Lions feel confident in the linebacker group they have.
What’s ahead
Detroit’s next five games should tell us a lot about this team. Out of the bye, they travel to Dallas for the third consecutive year, having lost the previous two matchups. After that, they’ll head to Minnesota to face an unbeaten Vikings squad. The Titans come to town around Halloween, followed by back-to-back road games against the Packers and Texans. That’s four road games in five games against some quality teams.
But the Lions are, too. And they believe they haven’t played their best football yet. It has them feeling confident about what’s ahead.
“I am pleased with where we’re at right now,” Campbell said. “…Would I like to be 4-0? Absolutely. Yes. But, relative to where we’re at, I feel like we’re beginning to find our stride. I don’t believe what we saw yesterday is our defense and I believe we’re finding our rhythm offensively and that makes me feel good. And I know that we’re just going to continue to get better and better and better. We have so many areas to improve in that we will, and we have. But where we’re at after four weeks, 3-1, the growth that we have had to this point, I feel pretty good.”
(Top photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
