Detroit Lions PFF Grades vs. Jaguars: Defense
During the initial part of the 2022 season, the Detroit Lions struggled with the league's poorest defense. However, they turned things around impressively in the latter half, showing significant improvement over the final 10 games. GM Brad Holmes made strategic additions to the defense during the offseason, leading some, including me, to predict that they could rank among the Top 15 defenses in 2023.
But with the Lions' offense underperforming against the Jacksonville Jaguars this past Saturday at Ford Field, their defense faced extended playtime during their second preseason match. Here's a breakdown of how individual Lions defensive players performed against the Jaguars, based on Pro Football Focus grades.
Detroit Lions Defensive PFF Grades vs. Jaguars
Here is how Pro Football Focus graded the Detroit Lions defensive players against the Jaguars:
As you can see above, the Detroit Lions' Top 5 defensive players against the Jaguars, according to Pro Football Focus, are as follows:
- Malcolm Rodriguez 90.7
- Jalen Reeves-Maybin 77.9
- James Houston 77.5
- Tracy Walker III 73.0
- Khalil Dorsey 72.7
As for the Bottom 5…
- Colby Richardson 28.4
- Derrick Barnes 28.9
- Brodric Martin 41.2
- Julian Okwara 45.4
- Brady Breeze 47.6
The Defense Outperforms The Offense… Again
Though it was not a perfect game by Aaron Glenn‘s unit, the Detroit Lions defense led the way for the second preseason game in a row. With that being said, it is important to remember that so far, the Lions' key players, on either side of the ball, have barely played.
Bottom Line: What's Next?
After defeating the New York Giants last week, the Lions moved to 1-1 in the preseason following a 25-7 loss at home to the Jaguars. Up next for the Lions is their final preseason game of they year, which will take place on Friday night against the Carolina Panthers. Once that game is in the books, the Lions will shift 100% of their focus to the Kansas City Chiefs, who they will play in Week 1 of the 2023 regular season.
