IN COMING: Hear from Detroit Lions executive vice president & general manager Brad Holm
Talk about a roller coaster. While the offense was consistent throughout the season, the Detroit Lions defense was the opposite of that. Overall, it was an improvement from the 2022 season, but while there were more good plays and games from this defense, the inconsistency was the central issue. Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn did what he could with a depleted secondary that faced injuries all season.
Detroit was 23rd in points against, 27th in passing yards allowed, 27th in passing touchdowns, and ranked t-23rd in sacks The positive side is while the passing defense struggled, the run defense was stout. The Lions ended with the second fewest rushing yards allowed and third lowest yards per carry with 3.7, but 24th in rushing touchdowns allowed.
Special teams was also an inconsistent bunch, but mainly on the kicking side, as there were two kickers for Detroit this year. While one made a big kick in the playoffs, both stood out as a short-term solution. There are no rookie mentions in this article, as I already went over them earlier, so if you want to read about them, check it out!
And if you missed my winners/losers on the offense, check that out here.
Here are my winners and losers from the 2023 defense and special teams for the Detroit Lions.