The Detroit Lions are looking to stay healthy and make a deep playoff run this coming season after seeing their Super Bowl dreams surprisingly cut short in the divisional round last year.
For Detroit to get to its first Super Bowl in franchise history, it needs the offense to continue to do what it did last year, despite not having Ben Johnson.
Meanwhile, on defense, while the Lions lost Aaron Glenn, they promoted Kelvin Sheppard to defensive coordinator, and they will have Aidan Hutchinson back. However, all the Lions can’t depend on Hutchinson and the front-seven to carry the unit.
Detroit needs its secondary to do its job this season. The Lions hosted a joint practice against the Houston Texans on Thursday ahead of their final preseason game.
For the Lions’ secondary, this is a perfect test, given the talent in Houston’s WR room. Well, it looks like Detroit’s defense didn’t pass the test.
Lions defense doesn’t really have an answer for Nico Collins.
— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) August 21, 2025
Lions’ Defense Struggles in Joint Practice Against Texans
According to Jonathan M Alexander of the Houston Chronicle, the Lions’ defense couldn’t stop Texans star wideout Nico Collins.
If you are a Lions fan, you likely aren’t pressing the panic button based on a joint practice, but the secondary will need to be on their A-game early on during the season. The Lions’ first few games are against the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and Baltimore Ravens.
Those offenses are loaded with talent at the wide receiver room, which will put a lot of pressure on the cornerback group. The Lions addressed the CB room, signing D.J. Reed to a three-year deal after seeing Carlton Davis exit in free agency.
Detroit enters the season with Reed and Terrion Arnold on the boundary, which isn’t a bad duo, especially if the latter shows improvement from his rookie season (50.4 coverage grade on PFF).
The Lions were hoping to have Ennis Rakestraw Jr. on the field with Arnold and D.J. Reed, but he’ll be out for the season with a shoulder injury.
Now, all hope is not lost, as the Lions have Amik Robertson in the slot, Brian Branch, and Kerby Joseph at safety. However, a lot of Detroit’s success on defense will hinge on what the backend does. If they cannot stop a lot of the top wide receivers in the league, it will put the team as a whole in a precarious position.
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