The Detroit Lions have wrapped up around a quarter of their season by their bye week which means it is time for a parent-teacher conference to go over grades.
A 3-2 record for the Lions at the bye week is not a bad place to be but they definitely could be in a better position. They are coming off of a big 45-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals which helped them regain a little bit of confidence on the defensive side of the ball. Granted they played a bad offense but they did exactly what they should have done instead of allowing Arizona to have an outlier offensive performance. They have had ups-and-downs and the team has not looked too consistent. They have wasted great offensive performances, the defensive line is the best it has been in years and the offensive line is back to being a strength for the team. Many things to praise, many to pull apart in this annual review.
Secondary: F
Let’s get the bad out of the way first and foremost. Easily the most disappointing unit this season and the expectations were already low when Branch and Joseph were not going to be playing right away and Terrion Arnold was released after his arrest. The Lions have given up the most pass yards per game in the NFL averaging 297.4 yards and they have given up 14 passing touchdowns. Even D.J. Reed, who was supposed to be the lone bright spot at cornerback, has been getting beaten all year long and has not looked at all like he did when he was with the Jets. Reed is starting to turn into that Cameron Sutton territory of a solid cornerback the Lions signed who has become absolutely horrible once they join the Lions. Ennis Rakestraw has been playing well when he has been on the field, Roger McCreary played a solid game against Arizona and Keith Abney II did show flashes at safety in this last outing against Arizona. Other than that the rest of the secondary has been an absolute dumpster fire. They have allowed Tyler Shough to throw for 400 plus yards on them, Geno Smith threw 300 plus yards and Bryce Young did not throw an incompletion until the second quarter of their matchup. The secondary has looked dreadful to start the season outside of the Cardinals game. Even then that was a game where they were going up against a bottom-tier offense and they did what they should have done. That performance does not make up for the other four weeks. Let’s see if they can carry that performance out of the bye and onto the Green Bay game in week seven.
Offensive Line: A
Entering week six, according to PFF the Lions offensive line has graded out as the highest unit in the league through the first five weeks. After the unit was decimated by the retirement of Frank Ragnow last year and the loss of Kevin Zeitler, they have regained their confidence with new youth upfront. The Lions drafted Blake Miller out of Clemson to be the right tackle and he has played exceptionally well so far this year. Miller has yet to allow a sack to start this season. Penei Sewell’s transition to left tackle has gone really smooth and has helped Goff protect his blindside. The Lions added Cade Mays in free agency expecting to fill the starting center spot but when Mays went down with an injury they were probably not expecting trade addition Juice Scruggs to fill in so well. Scruggs has only given up one sack, nine pressures and three penalties. He has been ranked first among all qualifying centers via PFF. When Mays inevitably returns will Scruggs even lose his job? That is how good the offensive line has been so far this season. Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany have also played extremely well in their young careers this season playing alongside a center like Scruggs. There were a couple of plays against the Cardinals where the blitz got through up the middle and around the edge to halt two Detroit drives early in the game which holds this abc from being an A+. Small things like that can be improved upon as the offensive line continues to grow after the bye.
Defensive Line: A+
The unit that has struggled the most for Detroit in recent years outside of Aidan Hutchinson has turned around this season and become the one bright spot of the defense so far. If only the secondary were not so bad as they are wasting an excellent performance from the defensive line. They lead the league in sacks with 20 through the first five weeks. Four Lions have at least three sacks including DJ Wonnum who leads the team with five, then Hutchinson with four, ALim McNeill with 3.5 and Derrick Barnes with three. That is the first time in franchise history the Lions have four players with at least three sacks through the first five games. Wonnum has come on strong as the worthy pass rusher Lions fans have been waiting for on the opposite side of Hutchinson. Alim McNeill looks to have regained his form from 2023 and 2024 before the injury and Aidan Hutchinson is still doing what he does best. The run defense outside of the game against Carolina and Buffalo has been really good as well. Tyleik Williams is coming off of his worst game of the season but he was coming off of a bruised foot so it should not be too concerning. The Lions also are pressuring the quarterback at an extremely good rate as well. Hutchinson is second among all players with 32 pressures, McNeill leads defensive tackles in pressures with 23 and rookie Skyler Gill-Howard has 13 pressures which is first among rookie interior defensive linemen and third among rookies overall. The defensive line has been a treat to watch this year when their secondary does not allow quarterbacks to see an open receiver so quickly. A unit that once was a weakness is now the only strength the defense has had so far through five weeks.
Skill Positions: B-
Drew Petzing has utilized this skill position group extremely well in his offensive gameplans but there have been some inconsistencies within the group. Jahmyr Gibbs of course has been electric, but his backup Sione Vaki has provided little behind him in the ground game. Amon-Ra St. Brown has been a reliable target for Jared Goff this year but has had some recent fumbles in the Cardinals game, dropped a pass in the endzone and is just outside the top-10 in receiving yards. Sam LaPorta is leading all tight ends in receiving yards through five weeks which is good for him as he is still looking for a contract extension to stay in Detroit. Jameson Williams has had a few issues with some drops in games but has found a bit of a footing as of late and Isaac Teslaa has been involved more in the offense and caught plenty of big pass plays down the field. I like what has been shown from these players so far this season but it is just a matter of a few issues with drops and a lack of usage with a player who the team traded three third round picks for. Otherwise, Jared Goff has been spreading the ball around evenly to this group of players who have performed well to start the season.
Overall Grade: C+
The Lions season until this point has been a roller coaster ride to say the least. A couple of fantastic Jahmyr Gibbs and Jared Goff performances can be paired with some of the worst defensive plays fans have witnessed. They are beating the teams they should beat while losing to the teams that they were expected to, Carolina can be debated. Other than the Arizona game, they have looked inconsistent in their wins and downright dreadful defensively in their losses. Alas, they have a winning record at the bye week, the offense has been fantastic, the defense has just been even worse. Drew Petzing has stepped right in and made the offense feel whole again, certain units are playing really well. If the Lions only had an average defense, this team could be 4-1 maybe even 5-0 heading into the break. There will be plenty to re-evaluate when the schedule gets into the divisional games.
