Detroit Lions film review: Rush, coverage and unforced errors; how the defense stymied the Buccaneers
Allen Park — People have been using the sometimes playful, sometimes derisive Legion of Whom moniker to describe no-name defensive backfields since the Seattle secondary it spawned from was still dominating the NFL.
The nickname was appropriately recycled this week in Detroit after the team turned to a crew of backups to navigate injury woes and a suspension that ravaged its starting lineup.
Amik Robertson was the last man standing from the Week 1 lineup, once again shifting from his nickel corner role to the outside to help patch the losses of DJ Reed and Terrion Arnold. The team paired him with Rock Ya-Sin, a former second-round pick turned journeyman playing for his fifth team in as many seasons.
That duo was actually the stable component in the back end. At safety, without All-Pro Kerby Joseph and Swiss Army knife Brian Branch, the Lions turned to Thomas Harper and Erick Hallett. The young tandem had played a combined 10 defensive snaps this season. For Hallett, a sixth-round pick in 2023, it was the first of his career.
In the slot, veteran Arthur Maulet got the call for the second straight week after signing with the Lions earlier in the month.
And the backups, who each saw playing time against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night? The Lions trotted out two more October signings in Nick Whiteside and Tre Flowers, as well as Loren Strickland, who, like Hallett, was seeing the first defensive reps of his young career.
The Lions will tell you the standard is the standard, and whoever slides on the Honolulu blue or their pads is expected to execute at a high level. Still, that felt like a tall ask with so many moving parts, an overall lack of experience, and little time to forge meaningful chemistry.
Regardless, the collective emphatically answered the bell on Monday night, playing a key role in limiting the Buccaneers to nine points and flustering quarterback Baker Mayfield, an early-season MVP candidate, into his worst performance of the season.
How?
Glad you asked. We’re going to turn to the film to dissect how the short-handed Lions defense delivered its most impressive performance of the season, knocking off the NFC-leading Buccaneers Monday night.