Tag: zone coverage

The Lions defensive line needs more than just Aidan Hutchinson

Hutchinson has played very well but he’s too often the only DL doing anything well

There can be a lot of overreactions to an NFL team after two or three weeks, but I can assure you, this isn’t one of them. When watching the Detroit Lions defense trot onto the field, I can’t help but notice that their front four is limited outside of Aidan Hutchinson.

Through two games this season, the Lions talented pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson has a league-leading 13 total pressures (per PFF: three hits and 10 hurries). Those numbers are great, but the lack of sack production is concerning — but not as concerning as the lack of pressure being generated from the rest of the defenders on the defensive line.

From what I can tell on tape, much of the problem for the Detroit Lions defense is how stagnant the interior defensive line plays. Their 41% pressure rating (per The 33rd Team) is 4th best in the NFL, but it’s only generated one sack.

While that pressure rating is great, the Lions are sending 4-man pressures 80% of the time, and that’s the 5th-most in the NFL. As the season progresses, teams will transition to a quick passing attack like the Seahawks did and it will lead to more struggles for the defense.

According to Pro Football Reference, the Lions have 23 total pressures this season. Defensive linemen such as Benito Jones and John Cominsky have both played over 55% of the snaps this season. Only Cominsky has generated a pressure. Just one single pressure. Defensive lineman Alim McNeil has played 71% of the team’s snaps this season and he hasn’t generated one pressure either.

Not having more blitzes or a better pass rush from the interior defensive line is what is really hurting this defense. The Lions have a potential premier pass rusher in Aidan Hutchinson getting chipped from tight ends or double-teamed from tackles and guards on just about every single pass rush.

What makes all of this more surprising is the personnel statistics that have been charted on the Lions’ defense so far this season. According to personnel statistics (powered by SIS) from the 33rd Team, the Lions run zone coverage 64% of the time and man coverage 21% of the time.

Whether it be aligned in Cover 1 (man coverage) or Cover 3 (zone coverage), it’s not getting the job done for the Lions defense. So my question to Aaron Glenn is why aren’t you blitzing more? Blitzing more would indicate more 5 or 6-man pressures. Maybe, just maybe, that’ll generate the sack production that this defense desperately needs.

With injuries to Josh Paschal and James Houston, the Lions are going to have to get creative with their defensive personnel. I say that because I don’t see this team going out and signing a free agent defensive lineman to help generate more pressure. Instead, they’ll handle it within the organization but they’re going to have to figure it out quickly.

Maybe we’ll see players such as Brodric Martin and Isaiah Buggs provide a spark for the interior once they hit the field. But we don’t know when that will be. One can only hope that they’ll make a decision made on how to generate more pressure. If not, things could get uglier for this defense sooner rather than later.

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DC Steve Spagnuolo credits Nick Bolton, Bryan Cook for Chiefs’ improved zone coverage

Steve Spagnuolo credited two #Chiefs for his defense’s improvement in zone coverage after Monday’s practice.

The Kansas City Chiefs defense has taken a back seat to the team’s prolific offense in recent seasons, but coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is out to prove that his unit can turn the tide in 2023.

He spoke to reporters on Monday about the Chiefs’ improvement in zone coverage during training camp and credited two young leaders on Kansas City’s defense for their efforts in practice that have helped his unit turn a corner.

“There’s tighter coverage,” Spagnuolo explained. “We’re a zone match team, I think our guys are doing a better job of that. That’s a credit to the guys in the middle that are leading it like Nick [Bolton] and Bryan Cook, they are kind of in the middle of the whole thing and then our corners are playing pretty tight. I think rep after rep after rep we get a lot of passes thrown at us here, so we better get good at it because we certainly get plenty of work.”

Spagnuolo will do his best to ensure that the Chiefs’ defense doesn’t take a step back over the next month before the regular season.

Kansas City will face its first live-action competition on August 13th when they square off against the New Orleans Saints, who will look to undo the progress that the Chiefs’ defense has been making in workouts.

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The Honolulu Blueprint: Keys to a Lions victory over the Colts

The Detroit Lions will face the Indianapolis Colts at home and the Honolulu Blueprint will show them the path to extend their winning streak

The Detroit Lions are on the top of the world after pulling out a last-minute 23-22 victory against the Atlanta Falcons. Now, they will be taking their two-game winning steak back home to face the 4-2 Indianapolis Colts who are coming off their bye week.

One of the biggest catalysts in the Lions’ recent success has been their improving run defense. Through the last two games, the Lions have only allowed 110 yards on 42 carries at 2.6 yards per attempt. The offense is still finding their stride, but with the return of Kenny Golladay, they have a dynamic piece that makes their offense effective.

The Lions are sitting at .500 and will have their hands full against this balanced team, but this week’s Honolulu Blueprint will give them the key concepts to try to extend their winning streak.