The Lions won their first game without Aidan Hutchinson. They did not mount much of a pass rush off the edge.
Dan Campbell acknowledged that it's "an area where we can better" when asked for his review of the position a day after the Lions' 31-29 win over the Vikings. It won't quiet the clamor for the team to add a proven defensive end before the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
"There were some things where our coverage really had to -- we asked them to do a lot, and they had to hold on a little bit," Campbell said. "There was a number of things where we fabricated some rush, we got there a few times. To answer your question, we need just a little bit more. There was a couple of (pass plays) that did get long, a couple of these plays that you like to believe we can get somebody there just a little bit sooner."
Detroit's two defensive players who saw the majority of the action on the edge were Josh Paschal and Isaac Ukwu, the latter an undrafted rookie. On 59 pass rushing snaps, per Pro Football Focus, they produced two QB pressures -- both courtesy of Paschal, who also contributed a sack.
The Lions did have four sacks as a team, but the other three came from linebackers Jack Campbell, Malcolm Rodriguez and Trevor Nowaske.
On a more encouraging note, James Houston produced two QB pressures on just eight pass rushing snaps. Rookie Mekhi Wingo was also deployed off the edge, but didn't make much of an impact against the Vikings' strong offensive line.
"We’ll keep working with them," Campbell said. "(Aaron Glenn's) going to keep developing a great plan, he’s a stud as a defensive coordinator. He just maximizes everything we have, and we’ll figure it out. But I was proud of the way they battled.”