During Saturday’s hopeless 47-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the social media lamentations made it clear. This edition of the Detroit Lions defense could be the worst unit to ever wear the Honolulu blue and silver.
They might already be there with the eye test, but the wretched and incompetent failure that is the Lions defense in 2020 could validate the historical status in Week 17 against the Vikings. The team could surpass the winless 2008 edition in points allowed.
Detroit currently sits at 482 points allowed, the worst in the NFL in 2020. The Raiders are next up at 447, 35 points behind the injury-riddled Lions unit. And that 35 figure is fitting, because if the Lions surrender 35 or more points to the Vikings next Sunday, it will break the franchise record for most points allowed in a season.
The winless Lions of Rod Marinelli in 2008 allowed 517 points in going 0-16. The 2020 edition currently sits third in franchise ignominy, with the 2009 team under Jim Schwartz ceding 494 points to opponents in finishing 2-14.
It will be difficult to break the NFL record for most points allowed in a 16-game season, set by the Baltimore Colts in 1981. Those Colts allowed 533. If the Vikings can score 52, the record falls to the Matt Patricia-styled Lions.
In the first meeting with Minnesota, the Vikings won 34-20.
The Lions are also last in the NFL in TDs allowed (35), first downs allowed (384), passing yards allowed (4,175) and rushing TDs allowed (35), though the Jaguars and Seahawks can both surpass the Lions in some of those categories in their respective games on Sunday.
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