The Lions' defense - missing half of its starting (and even backup's backups) secondary and lost its playcalling middle LB in the first quarter (for the season!) - managed to put the breaks on Aaron Rodgers. As of right now, the Lions have the #1 defense in the NFL. WHAT? We started the year with holes at safety, outside LB and CB. Mayhew signed Ihedigbo to fill in at safety, and he hasn't played a down yet due to a neck injury. The Lions drafted Kyle Van Noy to solve the problem at outside LB, only HE got injured in the preseason and isn't eligible to return until week 8. Mayhew elected to solve the problem at CB by re-signing aging Rashean Mathis and promoting Darius Slay into the opposite starting role. This tactic worked surprisingly well, given the Lions' history, but the nickle & dime CBs have been dropping like flies. No problem, just sign a guy off the street & promote a guy off the practice squad. Wait, that WORKED? Gorrer & Seisay performed better than expected, making a couple of plays while also getting called for a couple of pass interference/illegal contact penalties.
Still, you don't become the #1 defense in the NFL through dumb luck (I know, I know, it's only through week 3, I'll calm down in a second). Firstly, the Lions have been extremely potent against the run, thanks to Suh, Fairley, and Tulloch all being BEASTS to block. With Tulloch now out, it remains to be seen how his replacement will fill in. Darius Slay has looked very comfortable on the island, leading the team in passes defensed and not getting called for a penalty since week 1. Fairley has answered the call and been very disruptive despite battling a biceps injury, Ansah & George Johnson have been decent bookends, Suh has done Suh things, but the key to this defense is... Levy!
DeAndre Levy is starting to get some Pro Bowl love, and I've heard analysts comment on the fact that he was snubbed last year. Already he has an incredibly athletic pick and a tackle for a safety on his highlight resume. In fact, let's take a moment...
Ok. Moving on, he's 1st on the team in tackles so far, 2nd in passes defensed, and 1st in tackles for a loss. He's FAST, and not just for a linebacker. I've seen him run down wide receivers from behind. He's probably the fastest defender to the ball in the league, which means he is not just lightning quick, he also recognizes plays as they happen and puts himself where he needs to be. He also has a legendary beard, but that's beside the main point. Fairley and Slay both seem poised for breakout seasons, but I declare this the Year of Levy.
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The next opponent is the New York Jets. With Geno Smith under center and top WR Eric Decker likely out, the Lions' run defense will be tested and we'll see how they cope without Tulloch. The Jets have a pretty good offensive line and feature Chris Johnson (yes, THAT Chris Johnson) and the far superior Chris Ivory. A large chunk of Ivory's yards were ripped off on one 71-yard run against Oakland in week 1, but even setting that aside he's still out-performing Johnson. He's a load at 222 lbs, but he's quick too.
The defense is another matter. The Jets have a stout defensive line that stops the run as well as Detroit's does. They run a 3-4, but like Detroit they line up in a bunch of different configurations. Muhammad Wilkerson is a beast, although he's listed as questionable with a knee contusion (he'll play Sunday though). So far this year, this defense has gotten after the QB although they're not ball-hawkers. This may be the toughest defense we face all year, although Arizona in week 11 is no joke either.
Matt Stafford needs to respond. He looked a little "2013-y" to me, throwing the 2 picks and getting stripped by Peppers. In his defense, there were mitigating circumstances for each turnover. He had about 0.5 seconds to get rid of the ball, with the RT looking like a maitre d' escorting Julius Peppers to his table. He was hit 9 times and sacked twice, which is a lot of punishment in 1 game. The first INT that was intended for Corey Fuller wasn't a very catchable ball, but it still hit him in the hand(s). The second INT intended for Calvin Johnson probably shouldn't have been thrown, but it's the type of ball that Stafford often throws up for CJ to go & get. This time, Calvin couldn't get past the defender to make a play on the ball.
Matt Stafford still bears the bulk of the responsibility for the interceptions (the fumble is totally on the RT combo, who's been overmatched in every game they've played), and his last 2 games have been "Romo-esque". We need to see the better version of Matt Stafford this Sunday. He doesn't need to go all "Scorched Earth" like he did in week 1, but he needs to move the offense better that he has the last 2 games.
The kicking game needs to show up. Nate Freese was released probably after he got out of the shower on Sunday, and the Lions picked up Alex Henery to take his place. The new guy isn't exactly a lock to be an improvement, since he was originally release by the Eagles after going 1-3 in the pre-season. Simply put, this looks to be a grind-it-out game with a premium on scoring and the Lions can't afford to take points off the board by missing a bunch of field goals.
The Lions MUST continue to stop the run without Tulloch. It's been announced today that Tahir Whitehead will get a shot at playing the mike LB position for Tulloch. I don't expect him to produce like Tulloch did, but he can't be a disaster, and Palmer has to hold his end up as well at the other LB spot. If he can't do it, look for newly-signed LB Josh Bynes to play the mike position.
This is a dangerous game in that the Lions SHOULD win, being the superior team, but the Jets are good enough on D and in the run game that if the Lions hurt themselves and get behind, making a comeback would be difficult. Watch out for this one.
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