Is this the defense we've been waiting for from Matt Patricia's Lions? Is this the defense we can expect moving forward?
Two different questions, two different answers. Yes, to the first. We sure hope so, to the second.
Because if the defense that's shown up for Detroit the past two games decides to stick around, we might be talking about more than 'meaningful games' in December. We might be talking about more than next season in January.
And we might stop talking about a head coach and a general manager on the hot seat.
"Honestly I think we’re just finally at that point as a defense, as a team, where we have this confidence about us," defensive tackle Danny Shelton said Monday. "We know what we need to do every week.
"We just gotta be consistent and be accountable and continue to have that mindset that we’re going to be this dominant front, this dominant defense, this dominant team."
The last time Shelton spoke with the media, he talked about the anger in the defensive tackles room. He said the group needed to show 'more pride' in stopping the run. The Lions had surrendered more than 400 yards on the ground through their first two games.
The next few weeks weren't much better. Heading into their bye at 1-3, the Lions ranked last in the NFL against the run: 170.3 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry.
In two games since the bye: 55 yards per game, 2.6 yards per carry. The discovery of a run defense has meant the discovery of hope. The Lions are 3-3 and back in the playoff race entering November.
"The first four games have been a real blessing in disguise," Shelton said. "Following up with a bye week, you kind of felt like those first four games were our preseason and we started off our season after the bye week. Everybody had this new fresh mindset and our D-line, our defense, we’re really hungry to show up and show out."
So, what changed? The competition, for one. Detroit's last two games came against a pair of one-win teams who rank in the bottom third of the league in rushing. The Lions are taking advantage of the opportunity in their schedule.
But the defense has changed, too. The defensive line, specifically. The Lions have bulked up inside and generated more of a push off the ball. The trio of Shelton, Nick Williams and rookie John Penisini has started each of the last two games, and they've grown more comfortable playing next to each other in the process.
"I love it," Shelton said. "Obviously it's working. Excited to see what else we can do."
Ahead of Detroit's Week 6 game against the Jaguars, NFL on Fox analyst Brock Huard blamed Patricia for "doing way too much with different personnel groups" against the run. Huard, who was on the call for that game, basically said the coach was outsmarting himself.
"Just line up, get your big bodies out there, play violent off the snap and give yourself a chance to stop the run," Huard said. "I think they’ve been way, way, way too cute in some of their scheme against the run."
Patricia and defensive coordinator Cory Undlin apparently agreed. They reviewed things during the bye and decided to get Penisini and Williams on the field more with Shelton. Same for Da'Shawn Hand. The bye also gave Williams, a $10 million acquisition in the offseason, a chance to recover from the shoulder injury bothering him in September.
"Those guys have done a really good job inside anchoring that middle a little bit," Patricia said Tuesday. "Certainly a guy like John Penisini who we’re just getting to know and putting through the first four games, and then really had a chance to look at what he was able to do. Nick Williams getting healthy, obviously Danny Shelton being consistent in there, Da’Shawn Hand getting better.
"Just feeling more comfortable with those guys after the first four games and putting them in different positions that we thought maybe they could perform better in. I think it was a good job taking a look at some of those sets.”
Shelton, Williams, Penisini saw season-high snap counts last week against the Falcons. Along with Hand, they combined for 177 snaps -- 40 more than in any other game this season -- and produced 13 tackles and a fumble. This is what the Lions envisioned when they re-made the interior of the defensive line in the offseason, starting with the $8 million acquisition of Shelton.
And this is what Shelton envisioned when he got here, even if it took longer than he would have liked.
"We all had different preparations and routines we had to get used to. For us, it just made it a little harder because we are newer guys to the team and we had to quickly earn and gain trust from each other," Shelton said. "I feel like as the season continues, we are building that trust and that family-like atmosphere to where we’re playing as one."
Week 8 presents another good matchup. The Colts come to town with a rushing offense that ranks 28th in the NFL. They're averaging less than 100 yards per game and a league-worst 3.6 yards per carry. With a win, the Lions will climb above .500 for the first time since Week 4 of last season.
And then who knows? The schedule offers four more winnable games, punctuated by the 1-6 Texans on Thanksgiving. Detroit's pass defense has quietly made improvements from last season, and it stands to get healthier in the weeks ahead. And the run defense might finally be coming into its own. That bodes well with some cold-weather games on the horizon.
The Lions were frustrated and angry a month ago. That much they admitted. You can bet they were embarrassed, too. They sounded nothing like they do now, encouraged and confident at the right time of year.
"As far as just November, you gotta be ready for physical run games and be ready to stop the run," said Shelton. "Because the winter is coming, and these guys are getting ready to run downhill more."
Which makes it a good time for the Lions to be building a wall in the North.