Tag: Aaron Glenn

Detroit’s stunning turnaround in pass coverage keys defensive improvement

The Detroit Lions invested heavily in upgrading the pass coverage and it’s paying off, with the Lions D allowing the lowest QB rating in 2024

The Detroit Lions have allowed the lowest opposing QB passer rating through the first 14 weeks of the 2024 NFL season. That is perhaps the most startling statistic you’ll see all week.

The Lions are allowing a cumulative passer rating of 76.5 en route to a 12-1 start. That’s a significant upgrade from the 93.1 that Aaron Glenn’s unit surrendered in 2023, a mark that ranked 23rd of 32 NFL teams. Passer rating encompasses completion percentage, yards per catch, touchdowns vs INTs and more. Give credit to the radical turnaround to the coverage, specifically the overhauled Detroit secondary.

Detroit swapped out Cam Sutton, Jerry Jacobs, Tracy Walker and more, replacing them with Carlton Davis, Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson and a savvy move to install Brian Branch as a full-time safety after spending his rookie season in the slot. The investment in upgrading the coverage has paid off immediately.

Davis, signed as a free agent, is the top-graded cover corner in the NFL over the last month per PFF metrics. The team’s first-round pick, Arnold has been very effective in coverage, albeit something of a penalty magnet. Robertson has been steady in the slot and does a great job limiting yards after the catch.

The safety tandem of Branch and Kerby Joseph has been free to take more playmaking chances as a result, and it’s working. Joseph has a league-best seven INTs. Branch has already surpassed his INT and solo tackle totals from his fantastic rookie season. The vision and coordination of the two safeties have also been quite beneficial in overall coverage.

In 2023, the Lions earned a PFF coverage grade of 51.6 for the season, ranking 30th. Through Week 14, that grade has spiked to 82.4 — 4th-best in the league. Given that the QB pressure rate and sack rate are nearly identical to 2023, the revamped secondary and more aggressive man-coverage scheme from Glenn and his defensive staff deserve the Lions’ share of the credit for the considerable defensive improvement.

 

Aaron Glenn praises Jack Campbell’s development in one specific area

Campbell has improved across the board on the field in Year 2, but Glenn is most impressed with something bigger

Jack Campbell has developed into one of the NFL’s best off-ball linebackers in his second season. The Lions’ first-round pick in 2023 moved inside full-time for the 2024 campaign, and it’s fit him like a glove in the middle of coordinator Aaron Glenn’s aggressive defense.

Campbell has improved in virtually every aspect of his game from his up-and-down rookie season. From short-range coverage to pass rush effectiveness to missed tackle percentage, Campbell has taken a step forward in Year 2.

Yet when asked this week about where he thought Campbell has improved the most, Glenn went to the more intangible aspect of No. 46’s game.

“His ability to communicate across the board in every that we do,” Glenn stated. “And that’s the number one thing as a MIKE linebacker, make sure that we’re in the right situation, no matter what the situation is, just like a quarterback. He’s the quarterback of our defense right now.”

Glenn went on to cite Campbell’s exceptional practice habits as a reason why. Campbell has also come out of his shell a little with a more forceful personality, too.

“He’s a damn good player for us and I keep saying this, he’s a true MIKE linebacker. For him to stand in front of a group of men, the way they respect him is unreal, and you see it, and I’m sure the players talk about that too,” Glenn said admiringly. “He’s a man’s man, he understands what we’re trying to do, and he continues to try to get better.”

Terrion Arnold’s performance against the Bears is a beautiful problem for the Lions defense

Terrion Arnold’s performance against the Bears is a beautiful problem for the Lions defense

Whenever looking at the analytics for a player after a game, I never take it at face value. The data that gets charted on a player’s performance is a nice tool to have, but it doesn’t always tell the real story. That happens to be the case for Lions rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold after playing the Bears last week.

Looking at the data pulled from Pro Football Focus (PFF), Arnold was rated as one of the bottom-5 defenders for the Lions defense last week. He earned a 46.1 overall grade and has an overall grade of 49.5 this season.

However, when studying the tape against the Bears, it tells a different story about Terrion Arnold and his performance. Meanwhile, the Lions are faced with a beautiful problem with Arnold and his importance to the Lions’ defense. Let’s dive into some tape to look at what went right and what went wrong for Arnold on Thanksgiving!

 

Starting with what could have been the first career interception for Terrion Arnold, we go with the play above. Looking at that play, you’ll see see the Bears come out under center with their ’12’ personnel (one running back and two tight ends).

Playing with outside leverage on the bottom of the screen, you’ll see Arnold. Once the ball is snapped and the receiver releases up the field, you’ll see Arnold right behind the receiver. Using a trail technique, Arnold is in a great position to undercut a pass vertically down the field but he’s also in a good position to jump any route that breaks in, out or back to the quarterback.

In this instance, the wide receiver appears to be running some type of comeback or curl route. However, Arnold is in great position and is all over the route. Unfortunately, the ball is thrown somewhat lower than expected and Arnold isn’t able to get a hold of the ball for the interception. The good news is that Arnold was there and he made a great play on 2nd down.

 

Next, I want to focus on what could have been for Terrion Arnold. The play above could have been a huge play that would have prevented the Bears from scoring a touchdown on the following play.

Looking at the play above, you can see Arnold at the bottom of the screen and he’s playing with outside leverage. By playing with outside leverage, he forces Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze to release inside. This is good for Arnold because he’s got safety Kerby Joseph playing over the top and inside with potentially some expectation of jumping an inside route such as a post, dig or slant.

The unfortunate reality is that Arnold bites on the head fake to the inside and this gives Bears quarterback Caleb Williams a passing window to the outside. Despite being right there, the ball is completed for the first down and the Bears get the ball inside the Lions 10-yard line for first-and-goal. Had Arnold been able to break this pass up, it would have been a huge stop for the Lions on 3rd down.

As you can see, the data will paint one picture but the film paints another. There was a lot of good to come from Terrion Arnold in this game against the Bears. Personally, I think it was his best game as a rookie and that’s promising for a Lions defense that has been depleted by injuries and is currently dealing with a knee and thumb injury for the cornerback opposite of Arnold in Carlton Davis.

Against the Bears, Arnold was credited with giving up 2 receptions for 6 yards despite being targeted 6 times. He did record one tackle and a pass deflection in this game. Overall, it was a good bounce back performance for Arnold after missing the Colts game with a groin injury.

For us fans, we need to remain patient with Terrion Arnold. Meanwhile, he needs to continue to stay patient and disciplined when dropping into coverage. If he does, good things will turn into great things for him and the Lions defense.

Lions sign LB Kwon Alexander to help after more injuries hit Detroit’s defense

Lions sign LB Kwon Alexander from the Broncos practice squad to help after more injuries hit Detroit’s defense

The hits keep coming for the Detroit Lions defense this season. In addition to losing starters such as Aidan Hutchinson and Alex Anzalone, it was confirmed today that linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez tore his ACL. The injury occurred on Thursday against the Chicago Bears, and it will be a season-ending injury for Rodriguez.

Rodriguez had earned a bigger role on the Lion’s defense due to injuries to linebackers Derrick Barnes and Alex Anzalone. This season, Rodriguez had played in 10 games and started in 6 games for the Lions defense. It’s resulted in him registering 43 tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks.

With Rodriguez being out for the rest of the season, the Lions will need to remain creative with their defense. More than likely we will see them use more of linebackers David Long Jr and Ezekiel Turner. In addition to that, it was announced today that the Lions signed linebacker Kwon Alexander.

Prior to signing with the Lions, Alexander was on the Denver Broncos practice squad for most of this season. However, he has played in 3 games with 2 starts with the Broncos this season.

Last season with the Steelers, he suffered a torn Achilles against the Packers in Week 10, and it forced him to miss the remainder of the season. Fortunately, he did find his way back onto the field with the Broncos this season. His most recent start came in Week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Overall, Alexander is an experienced defender who was a 4th-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his career, he has played in 107 career games with 90 career starts between the Buccaneers, Saints, 49ers, Steelers, Jets and Broncos. The hope is that he can help provide some consistency to a Lions defense that is in desperate need of experience and talent after all the injuries this season.

David Long: What the Lions are getting in their new LB

Breaking down the game film and scouting report on new Lions LB David Long, signed to the practice squad to help replace Alex Anzalone

Despite demolishing the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, the Detroit Lions did receive some bad news regarding linebacker Alex Anzalone. It was confirmed yesterday that Anzalone will miss the remainder of the regular season with a broken forearm.

The injury occurred while Anzalone was making a tackle on Jaguars running back Travis Etienne with 2:32 left in the second quarter. As Etienne was getting near the sidelines, his left arm got caught between the running back and his teammate Brian Branch.

Fortunately, it does sound like Anzalone could return for the playoffs as he’s expected to only miss 6 – 8 weeks. To fill the void, the Lions will need players such as Malcolm Rodriguez and Jack Campbell to step up for the defense. In addition to that, the Lions signed linebacker David Long to their practice squad.

Rated as one of the best linebackers in football in 2023, Long being available was somewhat surprising last week. However, Long had lost his starting job on the Dolphins defense and he ended up being released on November 13, 2024.

Prior to playing a season and a half with the Dolphins, he had spent four seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Originally, he was drafted by the Titans in the 6th round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of West Virginia. Let’s dive into some film to see what the Lions are getting with linebacker David Long!

 

Starting with where I think Long could be best suited for Detroit and that would be whenever blitzing. As we know, the Lions have had to get creative in generating pressure with the loss of Aidan Hutchinson. Using different blitzes and line stunts, the Lions could get creative to get Long in the backfield.

Looking at the play above, you can see a clear blitz from Long (LB 11). He times the snap well and blitzes through the B-gap. In the process, he slips under the right tackle, who is trying to pull and kick him out. However, Long does a great job ripping underneath and making a tackle in the backfield.

Through the first four weeks of the season, Long was ranked 3rd in PFF’s tackle-for-loss rate database. In 65 run-defense snaps, he had earned a 6.15% tackle-for-loss rate. The hope for Detroit is that they can tap into some of what he was doing so well to start the season.

 

Staying with Long’s performance against the Bills from earlier this season, we go to my favorite play from him on tape. Through the four games that I watched, there were certainly some head scratching reads and plays from Long. However, the play above is a perfect example of Long playing with conviction and violence.

Looking at the play above, Long (LB 11) is aligned in a ’10’ (between guard and center) and he makes a great read. As he begins to trigger downhill, he’s met by Bills LT 73 Dion Dawkins. Rather than waiting for Dawkins to get square and seal him off, Long shocks and sheds the blocker.

As he creates separation, he’s able to see on either side of the blocker. Once he sees the running back make his cut, he slips underneath and makes a terrific tackle at the hole. This was textbook from Long, and the hope is the Lions can get him back to playing like that.

 

While the previous play was a great highlight, I do want to reiterate that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows when watching Long play. There are times that he looks hesitant, plays too slow or too fast or he simply just makes the wrong read.

When you’re a younger player, you can get away with that. However, when you’re a 6-year veteran and ranked as one of the top run defenders in the league over a period of time, it’s hard to justify bad performances when they stack up. That happens to be the case for David Long.

For example, when you look at the two clips posted above, we’ll start with the first one against Arizona. Long reads the zone blocks being executed by the Cardinals offensive line but as the play continues, he gets impatient and gets burned. Assuming that the running back is going to cut back, Long would have looked like a stud.

Instead, he looks somewhat foolish for trying to get around 3 players. He then goes for the tackle but instead of a good form tackle, he arm tackles and the running back continues up field from there.

Lastly, the second clip is against Jacksonville. Aligned in a ’20’ (head up over the guard), you can see Long’s initial steps go to his right. Much of that is due to him falling for the “eye candy” that is the pulling right guard. Fortunately, he recovers nicely due to his ability to change direction, get over the top and meet the running back in the C-gap.

So as you can see, there’s some pretty good play from Long and then there’s some head scratching plays. That tends to be the case for any player who ends up getting released during the middle of the season.

Early in the year against the Jaguars and Bills, it’s evident that Long was playing like his old self. However, he suffered a hamstring injury against the Seattle Seahawks in week 3 and he hasn’t looked right ever since. That could be causing him to play with that hesitation or that could be why he just looks slow on tape at times.

Fortunately, Long comes to a place like Detroit where they just get the best out of their players. They made it work with Charles Harris for two years. Defensive lineman John Cominsky looked like he was on his way out of the league but he’s been with the Lions for three seasons. It’s just how this team is coached and you better believe that David Long will be held to a high standard.

The Lions play the Indianapolis Colts this week and then have a quick turnaround to play the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving. If I had to guess, it’s unlikely that we’ll see Long play for the Lions during those two games. However, we could see him suit up against the Green Bay Packers in three weeks or potentially the Buffalo Bills the game after that. Regardless, it’ll take some time for him to get adjusted to the Lions defensive scheme.

While the Lions continue to battle through injuries on defense, they still push forward to the best record in the NFL and NFC. By adding David Long, the Lions could certainly use him for that late season push.

The Lions run this coverage scheme more than any other team, and it’s working great

The Lions defense runs Cover-1 more than any other team and it’s working well for coordinator Aaron Glenn and his secondary

One of the biggest reasons for the 8-1 start by the Detroit Lions has been the improved play of the secondary. The pass coverage by the revamped cornerback room has been a significant upgrade from years past, thanks to an overhaul with new personnel.

Finding a coverage scheme that fits the personnel is a critical part of the coaching from defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Getting players who can fit what scheme Glenn wants to run is part of that, and that’s exactly what the Lions did in bringing in Carlton Davis, Amik Robertson and Terrion Arnold as the top three CBs.

All are at their best in man coverage, which is Glenn’s preferred coverage scheme. It’s where Glenn was at his best as a Pro Bowl cornerback in his playing days, after all. With corners who thrive in man, Glenn is deploying man coverage at a very high rate relative to his NFL peers.

The Lions run some form of man coverage on 43 percent of opposing pass plays, according to data from Fantasy Points and social media’s Football Insights. No team uses more base man coverage than the Lions through the first 10 weeks.

There is one specific coverage scheme where the Lions really lean heavily: Cover-1. That’s man coverage from the cornerbacks with one safety (Kerby Joseph) roaming over the top and another safety (Brian Branch) buzzing more shallow, and LBs (typically Alex Anzalone but also Jack Campbell) running with underneath routes.

The Lions use this base cover scheme 38 percent of the time, the highest usage of Cover-1 in the league. Only the Browns, at 35 percent, are even close to using Glenn’s preferred Cover-1 as much.

 

Going heavy on Cover-1 plays to the best advantage of the man skills of the cornerbacks and the ball-hawking athleticism of the safeties. Last year’s Lions secondary couldn’t begin to effectively run Cover-1, but Glenn and the Lions found a great balance between personnel and coverage scheme this year.

Darren Rizzi could be a full-time Saints head coach candidate

Darren Rizzi earning another year as the full-time head coach of the New Orleans Saints wouldn’t be the worst thing. He’s a legit candidate for the job:

It’s an overreaction to say Darren Rizzi should remain the New Orleans Saints’ head coach after this season just because he beat the Atlanta Falcons. But continued success should mean he gets a real look, and the Saints will have to hire someone for the job. Rizzi turning a lost season around and earning that opportunity wouldn’t be the worst thing.

For one thing, he’s already a popular locker room presence. Special teams coaches like Rizzi are the few coaches who interact with players in every phase of the game. Whether he’s taught quarterbacks to hold a snap, told linemen how deep to set up for a field goal, or instructed safeties on shedding blocks as gunners, he’s worked with everyone, and he commands a lot of respect inside the building and around the league. He interviewed for the job when it opened up last time, too.

For another, the Saints aren’t set up rebuild on the fly. Annual contract restructuring has made it tough to trade off a bunch of veteran players and sign replacements in free agency. They aren’t resting on a stockpile of draft picks, either. That could make it tough to lure a hot up-and-comer in demand like Ben Johnson to town, and veteran coaches who have seen a thing or two like Mike Vrabel may want more resources to work with.

If the Saints are going to be working under tight salary cap constraints in 2025 anyway, the best approach might be to stick with Rizzi. See if he can weather that storm and field a competitive team with the pieces already in the building. If he can, great — he’ll have a clean slate to work with in 2026 after hurdles like the dead money left over from Marshon Lattimore’s trade and Derek Carr’s contract guarantees have been paid out in 2025. If he flounders?

No harm, no foul. More aging players will have bowed out, the salary cap bookkeeping will be in order, and the next coaching cycle will present more options. Maybe someone already being linked to the Saints coaching search like Aaron Glenn or Joe Brady will be ready to take over with more experience, fresh eyes and plenty of tools, cap space, and draft picks to build their own team.

But we’re really putting the cart before the horse here. Rizzi passed his first test by beating the dirty birds. Now he needs to win back-to-back games and knock out the Cleveland Browns next Sunday. That would do a lot to keep the season alive in a still-weak NFC South. At this stage all we can do (and all Rizzi and the Saints can do) is take things one day and one week at a time.

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Lions first-down defense deserves credit in the Week 10 comeback win in Houston

Lions first-down defense deserves credit in the Week 10 comeback win against the Texans, notably in the second half

In watching Sunday night’s amazing comeback win by the Lions in Houston, one of the things that stood out in real-time was how well the Detroit defense handled business on first downs. It sure felt that way in the second half, when Aaron Glenn’s defense pitched a shutout against C.J. Stroud and the Texans.

That led me to do a little research into if my real-time perception was accurate. I went back and looked at every 1st-and-10 play the Texans ran in the second half:

1- Carlton Davis INT on a short out route from Stroud

2- Joe Mixon inside run for 1 yard

3- Mixon inside run for 1 yard, same play as the last one

4- Mixon outside run for 6 yards (Davis snagged another INT on the next play)

5- Mixon outside left run for 5 yards, with Carlton Davis getting shaken up on the tackle

6- Mixon outside run for 4 yards, negated by a very obvious holding penalty (creating 1st-and-20)

7- Stroud incomplete pass deep right to TE Cade Stover, tight coverage by Jack Campbell

8- Stroud to TE Dalton Schultz for 17 yards over the middle, a busted zone coverage by the Lions LBs

9- Mixon outside run for no gain, hit in the backfield

10- Mixon inside run for 4 yards, though he was hit in the backfield on the play

11- Mixon off right tackle for 2 yards

12- Mixon inside run for 4 yards on a draw play

Tallying it all up, the Texans ran the ball on 1st-and-10 nine times in the second half. Those nine carries by Joe Mixon gained 27 yards, but the penalty on LG Juice Scruggs knocked the net down to 17 yards on those nine attempts. Stroud completed 1-of-3 passes for 17 yards, with another of those being picked off.

That’s 12 plays for Houston on 1st-and-10 netting a total of 34 yards and a takeaway by the Lions defense. If you’re looking for a reason why the Lions were able to come back, the impressive work on first downs against a predictable Texans offense after halftime is a big one.

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Film Study: Lions new DE Za’Darius Smith is a near-perfect fit for the Lions defense

Film Study: Lions new DE Za’Darius Smith is a near-perfect fit for the Lions defense

It’s been a few weeks in the making but the Detroit Lions finally made the trade with the Cleveland Browns for Za’Darius Smith. Adding the talented defensive end was much needed after the Lions lost Aidan Hutchinson for the season due to his leg injury.

With this addition, the Lions are getting a veteran defender that has started more than 80 games in his career. During that time, he has over 300 tackles and 65 sacks. The former 4th round pick from the 2015 NFL Draft has found success playing for the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns.

Currently, Smith is playing on a 2-year contract worth a total of $23 million dollars. For the Lions, most of that money has been paid out from the Browns so currently, Smith will count as a $605,000 cap hit for the Lions (per Spotrac). There is an option for the Lions to let him go after the season, if it isn’t a fit and it wouldn’t cost them anything in dead cap money. If the Lions decided to bring him back for 2025 to pair with Hutchinson, it would only cost them a cap hit of $5.4 million dollars.

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So, the tenured player has been a productive player and has more than a reasonable contract for the Lions. But what does he bring to the team? Let’s jump into some film to see what Smith will provide the Lions defense moving forward!

 

During the absence of Hutchinson, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has done a good job getting creative to generate pressure. Whether it be blitzing from all angles or designing a variation of line stunts, Glenn is doing whatever he can to form some type of pass rush.

Now his job gets somewhat easier to execute that game plan with the addition of Za’Darius Smith. Looking at the play above, you’ll see Za’Darius Smith (Browns DE 99) executing a T/E stunt for the Browns defense last season against the Texans.

Watch as he loops inside; he has more than enough speed and burst to get through the hole and close to the quarterback. Fortunately for the quarterback, he’s able to get the pass the ball while throwing off his back foot. However, it’s 3rd-and-long, and it’s one of those plays where Smith interrupts the timing, and it could lead to a sack or turnover. Adding that to a defense that is 2nd in the NFL with 11 interceptions on defense could do wonders for this unit.

 

Jumping into some tape from this year, one thing that immediately stood out with Smith is how he provides alignment versatility. He can play in a wide-9, tilt-5 and pretty much anywhere else a defensive coordinator wants to put him.

Looking at the play above, you’ll see Smith (Browns DE 99) align standing up over the right tackle as a 5-technique. However, he’s aimed or tilted towards the right guard. As he goes to rip across the face of the right guard, his pad level is a bit too high but he does his job by collapsing the middle as an interior pass rusher.

This works perfectly as there’s an outside rush from two defenders with wide alignments. This forces the quarterback to step up in the pocket and this is where he’s met by Smith for the sack.

 

Lastly, I want to highlight Smith’s ability to stop the run. Looking at the play above from a game against the Ravens this year, we’ll see Smith (Browns DE 99) is aligned over the tight end to the right of the formation.

Once the ball is snapped, Smith displays good burst while being able to rip across the face of the tight end. In the process, he bends down the line-of-scrimmage and helps make the tackle.

Having Smith present on the Lions defensive line won’t just help with generating a pass rush. He will also assist in stopping the run and teams will have to find ways to block him.

Overall, this deal had to be done by the Lions. They needed help up front for their defense and they should get it moving forward. So far this season, Smith has played 324 defensive snaps (per PFF).

This has led to 5 sacks and 27 pressures for Smith this season. From PFF, he’s earned a 73.6 overall grade and a 71.1 pass rush grade. Certainly, Smith is not graded as highly as Aidan Hutchinson but he will enter as the highest graded edge defender that is active on the team right now.

Pairing Smith with Alim McNeill, DJ Reader, Josh Paschal and the rest of their defensive line combinations should do wonders for this Lions defense. Having a defensive end that can turn speed-to-power, align anywhere on the line-of-scrimmage and execute the designed line stunts will be impactful. This move was the correct one by the Lions franchise and it should pay off in a big way for the next year and a half.

Aaron Glenn discusses why safeties are crucial to Lions’ success

Aaron Glenn discusses why safeties are crucial to Lions’ success

The Lions have one of the better safety pairing in the NFL in Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. The two have been huge in stopping opposing passing defenses and giving the Lions a 4-1 start following their 47-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

How important are the two to the success for the Lions and their defense? Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn dove into that topic during his weekly media availability Thursday.

“Well this is something that actually started in New Orleans, my first year there, of understanding exactly the type of defense that we were trying to play, and that’s a multitude of different coverages in the backend, and that requires safeties that can communicate at a high level,” Glenn said. “That’s the first thing. The second thing is it requires safeties that can play man coverage and that’s across the board on our defense. And thirdly, safeties are highly instinctive that can understand where the ball is going to go make plays on the ball, and as you can see, our guys are doing a really good job of that. And that’s just how the system is built and that’s – I love safeties that can play that way. I think it allows you to allow your corners to play with leverage, they allow your safeties to have a little freedom within the defense to go make plays, and man we have one of the better ones in Brian Branch that’s highly instinctive, that can play down, that can play back, and then Kerby’s in the middle of the field and he can do a lot. And his range to be able to go find the ball is unbelievable. It kind of reminds me of when I had (former Saints S) Malcolm Jenkins and (Ravens S) Marcus Williams when I was in New Orleans. So, those guys are somewhat similar, but there are differences between those guys also.”

The Lions currently rank 6th in expected points added per play at -0.17. Only the Minnesota Vikings (-0.27), Denver Broncos (-0.23), Chicago Bears (-0.21), Tennessee Titans (-0.20) and Los Angeles Chargers (-0.18) rank better than the Lions through Thursday’s game between the Broncos and Saints (Broncos won 33-10).

Jenkins and Williams were an extremely strong duo during their time in New Orleans — Glenn was New Orleans’ defensive backs coach from 2016-2020 — so to be compared to those two is quite the praise for Joseph and Branch, who are among the top five on the team in tackles and have already combined for seven interceptions this season. Branch is allowing a quarterback rating of 48.0 per NFL Next Gen Stats while Joseph has been near-shutdown, with just a 2.8 QB rating allowed.

With Aidan Hutchinson lost for the season, Joseph and Branch will take on even more of a role as the heart and soul of Glenn’s defense, a role they will certainly relish in.