Lions film review: Deciphering what to make of defensive performance in Green Bay
The Green Bay Packers entered last Sunday’s matchup with a potent offense scoring 27.0 points per game, but they were held to just 14 in a loss to the Lions. Furthermore, the final eight came in the closing minutes, when the contest was essentially out of reach.
That’s a good day at the office for Detroit’s defense, and one they’d likely take every time, but a closer inspection suggests they are left with plenty to correct. A review of the tape also emphasizes the team’s trade deadline urgency to upgrade at defensive end.
In comments likely to annoy most Lions fans, Packers offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins said Monday, "I feel like the team that executed today won. The best team didn't win, honestly.”
In defeat, the Packers racked up more than 400 yards, averaged 6.0 yards per carry and didn’t allow a sack. That’s usually a formula for success. And while I’m not going to validate the second half of Jenkins’ statement, his first part is 100% accurate. The Packers can clearly point to self-inflicted errors as the primary reason for the loss.
For this week’s film review, let’s take a closer look at where Detroit’s defense deserves credit and whether the Packers only have themselves to blame. We’ll break this into the three components of defense: Run defense, pass rush and coverage.