Tag: Qb Rating allowed

Lions must lower the opposing QB Rating against the Detroit defense in 2022

Detroit has finished in the bottom 5 in QB Rating allowed in each of the last 4 seasons.

Among the many areas for improvement in 2022, the Detroit Lions defense has one critical one. The Lions must escape the bottom rung of the NFL’s pass defenses in the QB Rating allowed metric.

It’s been too long since the Lions finished in the top half of the NFL for the full season in QB Rating allowed:

2021 – 101.0 (30th)

2020 – 112.4 (32nd)

2019 – 99.6 (27th)

2018 – 102.7 (30th)

The last time Detroit was in the upper half of the league was 2017, when Teryl Austin’s defense under head coach Jim Caldwell. That Lions defense, featuring a great secondary built around All-Pro CB Darius Slay and safeties Glover Quin and Quandre Diggs, allowed a QB Rating of 84.1 that ranked 14th in the NFL. Not coincidentally, that was the last season Detroit posted a winning record. The league QB Rating allowed average hovers right around 86.0 each year with some wiggle room.

While QB Rating isn’t a flawless metric, it does provide a pretty accurate assessment of how effective a pass defense is going against it.

Adding DE Aidan Hutchinson can only help the pass rush, one of the core components of keeping the opposing passing game under control. The secondary will need to create more interceptions and perform better in the red zone, two other areas where QB Ratings get fluffed up against a bad defense. That’s one key area for improvement for Aaron Glenn’s defense in 2022.

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Lions pass defense surges into top 10 over the last 3 weeks

It hasn’t equated to a win (yet) but the Lions pass defense is playing some good football since the bye week

One of the more promising developments out of the Detroit Lions’ rough start is the impressive progress of the team’s pass defense. It hasn’t yet shown in the win column, but it is looking a lot better on the stat sheet.

Over the last three games, the Lions have allowed an aggregate QB Rating to opposing passers of just 71.1. That’s the 8th-best in the league over that stretch.

Since the bye week, the Lions have held Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Chicago to an average of 239 passing yards, surrendering three touchdowns against four interceptions. Give the lion’s share of the credit to the secondary and linebackers; the Lions have just two sacks in those three games, tied for the second-fewest in the timeframe.

The Lions ranked dead last in the QB Rating allowed category for the month of September, carrying over from a 2020 campaign where they allowed the second-highest QB Rating as a team in NFL history (the 2015 Saints hold the dubious record). Since that time, the improved play has elevated the Lions to 26th overall (98.2) on the season and very much trending in the right direction.

Lions pass defense has dramatically improved over the last 3 weeks

The Lions QB Rating allowed has jumped from 32nd in Weeks 1-2 to 11th in Weeks 3-5

Looking for a silver lining in the winless clouds hanging over the Detroit Lions? Take a look at the young secondary and the steps the pass defense has taken over the last three games.

Despite losing top CB Jeff Okudah in Week 1 and his replacement, Ifeatu Melifownu in Week 2, the Lions pass defense has performed much better in Weeks 3-5 than it did in the opening two games. Some of that credit must go to youngsters like Jerry Jacobs, AJ Parker and Bobby Price, who have made some plays while taking their lumps as they learn how to play in the NFL on the fly.

The Lions still sit 30th overall for the season in QB Rating allowed to opposing passers. The 110.9 cumulative rating is ahead of only the Colts (124.9) and Jaguars (115.5) through five games. But Detroit’s awful ranking is weighted heavily by the dreadful first two weeks.

Over the last three weeks, the Lions have allowed a QB Rating of 87.0 to the Ravens, Bears and Vikings. That’s the 11th-best QB Rating allowed in that timeframe and well below the league average of 99.7 in those three weeks.

Detroit’s patchwork set of young cornerbacks has allowed just two touchdown passes in those three games, all losses. They held MVP candidate Lamar Jackson to just 16-of-31 passing, for 287 yards, one TD and one INT in Week 3. Chicago’s Justin Fields completed 11-for-17 but also threw an interception against no TDs, while Kirk Cousins threw for 275 yards, one TD and one INT. That’s not bad defense against a guy who had a QB Rating over 112 and a 9/1 TD/INT ratio entering the Week 5 game.

A good pass rush has helped. The Lions are sixth overall on the season in sack percentage and seventh in the last three weeks. Inserting speedier Jalen Reeves-Maybin into the lineup at LB has worked well, and safety Tracy Walker’s strong performance in coverage certainly helps too.

They will be challenged by Joe Burrow and the visiting Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6. Burrow is fifth in yards per pass (8.8) and seventh in QB Rating (106.4) through five games and has the NFL’s leader in receiving touchdowns in dynamic rookie WR Ja’Marr Chase.

If the Lions can get through this one without losing ground in their improvement, it’s a testimony to coordinator Aaron Glenn, DBs coach Aubrey Pleasant and the players themselves for quickly turning around their fortunes,

All stats are from Team Rankings. 

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Lions pass defense has been historically terrible the last 4 weeks

Last year the Lions finished 30th with a QB Rating allowed of 102.7

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No pass defense has been worse than the Detroit Lions over the last four weeks. That much is plainly obvious to anyone who has watched the toothless pass rush and soft coverage that has allowed opponents to throw the ball almost at will.

Thanks to NFL Inside Edge, we have graphic representation of just how bad it’s been of late.

The Lions have allowed a QB Rating of 128.7 since Week 7, handily the worst mark in the league. It’s 13.3 rating points worse than the 31st-ranked Oakland Raiders.

For the season, the Lions have allowed a 100.0 QB Rating, which is 23rd. Atlanta is currently 32nd on the year at 113.2. Note that the Falcons have improved of late; they are not in the bottom five from the last four weeks.

One area where the Lions have fallen off: takeaways. They do not have an interception since Justin Coleman picked off Aaron Rodgers back in the Week 6 loss to the Packers.

The Lions’ worst-ever QB Rating allowed for a full season came in the winless 2008 campaign, when Detroit allowed a league-worst 110.8. The records on Team Rankings only date back to 2003, but that Lions figure is the worst-ever. And the current Lions are on pace to shatter it with their abysmal pass defense of late.