DETROIT -- Those unsung heroes in the secondary deserve a ton of credit for the Detroit Lions.
But the team’s pass rush certainly did them a ton of favors in the big win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Lions (5-2) sacked quarterback Baker Mayfield four times, hitting him eight times altogether in their 24-9 win on Monday night. Mayfield completed only 28 passes on 50 attempts and had a brutal day at the office in the loss. Lions linebackers Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes each had one sack, while Tyrus Wheat (1.5) and Al-Quadin Muhammad (0.5) got in on the fun, too.
It was the return of Alim McNeill to the defensive line to help get things started. McNeill had a pressure and a near-sack on his second play back from a 10-month absence. Pro Football Focus credited him with five pressures in his season debut. PFF had the Lions winning more than 68% of their pass-rush reps, and with 40 created pressures in the win, and McNeill’s presence and attention commanded in the middle and all over the line certainly boosted them.
The analytics site credited Aidan Hutchinson with 12 and Muhammad with nine of his own. NFL’s Next Gen Stats had Muhammad eight and Hutchinson with seven, but we all get the picture. It was a disruptive showing, helping pitch in for the short-handed secondary to deliver a memorable night.
MLive’s Dungeon of Doom podcast was there for it all. Hosts Kory Woods and Ben Raven discuss the unsung heroes, Jahmyr Gibbs’ ridiculous night and their thoughts heading into the bye week.
“And while we’re going to talk and give a ton of love to the defensive backs, this doesn’t happen without the blitz or Hutchinson and Muhammad’s big games,” Raven said on the podcast. “Lions’ defense tonight, one interception, two forced fumbles. Pro Football Focus had them with a 68.6% pass rush win rate ... I mean, unbelievable.”
McNeill fits well with D.J. Reader and Tyleik Williams in the middle of the defensive line. And his ability to move around gives Kelvin Sheppard even more options in the trenches. Hutchinson leads the league in pressures through seven weeks, and he might start to see more one-on-one chances with the Lions getting healthy on the defensive line.
Want to hear more about the Lions’ dominant defense and their impressive victory? Don’t miss the full episode of MLive’s Dungeon of Doom podcast where Ben Raven and Kory Woods break down all the action from Ford Field:
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