If you're pointing the finger at Aaron Glenn, so is he. The Lions defensive coordinator isn't hiding from the fact that the team has one sack through two games, courtesy of a quarterback's brain fart.
"We have to do a better job with our pass rush," Glenn said Thursday. "And that’s us as coaches trying to scheme guys into doing things. That’s players also, just executing their job. When you look at the pass defense, man, you just have to win, and we have to make sure we put guys in positions to win.”
The Lions' only player who's generated steady pressure on the quarterback so far is Aidan Hutchinson, and even he doesn't have a sack. In fact, the former No. 2 pick was was notably held off the board last week by a pair of No. 2 offensive tackles. And when Hutchinson was double-teamed, the players around him didn't take advantage.
Especially those on the interior, like Alim McNeill, Benito Jones and Levi Onwuzurike. On 72 combined pass rushing snaps against the Seahawks, per Pro Football Focus, those three didn't generate a single pressure on Geno Smith. John Cominsky and Charles Harris were similarly ineffective off the edge.
Asked Thursday how the Lions can spark their pass rush, Hutchinson said, "Just playing more together, that’s the biggest thing, from the edges to the interior. Even when we get some good rushes, we’re just not playing complementary football with our backend either. They’ll be playing really good coverage where we don’t get as good of a rush, and then vice versa."
Glenn credited his defensive tackles for holding strong against the run, where the Lions have been stout through two games -- and much better than last season. He also acknowledged, "Are they Aaron Donald? No, they’re not."
"There’s not many people in this league that are like that, so we have to do a good job -- I have to do a good job of trying to scheme some things up so those guys can get a chance to get to the quarterback, maybe pick games and things like that so that guys will have a better chance," said Glenn. "That’s going to be my job to help those guys do that.”
Ultimately, it comes down to rushers winning their one-on-one matchups, especially those on the edge. Losing James Houston to a fractured ankle is a blow to the Lions, who also lost fellow defensive end Josh Paschal to a leg injury the week before that. Paschal, at least, shouldn't miss more than the four games he spends on injured reserve.
It's telling -- and problematic -- that Detroit's only sack so far came from linebacker Alex Anzalone on Seattle's last offensive snap of regulation when Smith scrambled into trouble instead of throwing the ball away on third down. And the edge rushers have exacerbated the lack of pressure by sometimes rushing too high, which has opened lanes for mobile quarterbacks like Smith and Patrick Mahomes to escape the pocket.
"I feel like when you're out there, sometimes it just doesn’t work," Hutchinson said. "There’s no communication and there’s a wide-open B gap for the quarterback to go right through. Communication was a really big thing this week that we’ve been working on."
"Me, as the coordinator," said Glenn, "I have to make sure we put every guy that we have in position to go make plays on the quarterback."
Hutchinson has had plenty of chances, and he's certainly caused havoc. His 13 QB pressures, per PFF, are tied with T.J Watt for most in the NFL. (Watt also leads the NFL with four sacks.) And his 10 QB hurries are tied for most with -- cover your eyes -- rookie Jalen Carter. Overall, Hutchinson has done a good job of getting the quarterback off his spot. He just hasn't finished the job.
“Any time you’re moving the quarterback off his spot and not letting him go to his first read, for the most part, is a pretty good job," said Glenn. "And actually, the guys have done that. Mahomes is Mahomes, but you have to give Geno a lot of credit for how he operated, because he did go to his second read, he did move and run a lot, and he did a good job of finding (his receivers).”
Different numbers tell different stories. In sacks, the Lions are tied with the Bears for last in the NFL. But in QB pressures, according to Pro Football Reference, they're tied for seventh with 23. (Of course, the bulk of those have come from one player.) They're 11th in pressure rate. They're also 23rd in blitz rate, significantly down from last season, signifying Glenn's confidence in his players to win their matchups in four-man fronts. So far, they just haven't.
Which might mean that it's time to adjust the plan.
"Execution at all levels has to be better," said Glenn. "I’m going to say that with players, I’m going to say that with coaches and I’m going to point the finger at me first, because that’s where it always points."