Remember when it was universally acknowledged how terrific the Lions are offensively?
Well, it’s turning out defense is their main calling card.
Could the Lions’ defense have been any better on Sunday, again, during a 20-6 victory at Tampa Bay? Not that the offense is bad…Hardly.
So much for the comeback of Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield. The Lions’ defense exposed his mediocrity Sunday. And the Bucs averaged just 2.9 yards per running attempt.
The concerns about the Lions being soft against the run and limited in the secondary were unfounded, even with a rash of injuries.
A month ago, Lions’ defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn had numerous detractors in this town. He has sufficiently shut their collective pie holes, wouldn’t you say?
Every week, it seems, we talk about it being the most impressive Lions’ win yet.
In a way it was, with the Bucs coming off a bye week. They had won three of their first four games. Yet, Tampa Bay’s offense was just 2-for-12 on third down and the Lions’ offense augmented their stellar defense by doing more than enough to secure a surprisingly dominant victory.
San Francisco was upset at Cleveland Sunday afternoon. Then the Eagles lost to the Jets.
The Lions are 13-3 in their last 16 games, dating back to last season, and 5-1 in 2023. The trip to Tampa Bay was supposed to present one of the most difficult remaining challenges on the Lions’ schedule.
The 49ers and Eagles face much stronger opposition than Detroit the remainder of the campaign. It is definitely in the realm of possibility the Lions will not only host their first home playoff game ever at Ford Field – and a playoff game for the first time since 1993 at the Silverdome – but as the treasured No.1 seed. Yes, the bye it brings to the NFC semifinals is definitely within reach.
I have maintained the Lions are not quite the caliber of the 49ers or Eagles.
After Sunday’s developments, I’m not so sure. Is anybody?
They shouldn’t be. The Lions just might be that good. Or dare we say, great.
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