Lions look to improve in many areas

Oct 24, 2017 - 3:56 AM ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Jim Caldwell did not have any big revelations about his team over last week's bye. In fact, the Detroit Lions head coach said he walked away from a deep self-scout feeling exactly the way you would expect about a 3-3 football team.

"That's what I think we are," Caldwell said. "That's what we look like. You are what your record says you are, so it's our job to get better."

While much has been made of the Lions' offensive struggles -- they rank 30th in yards per play and 26th in total offense -- there's plenty of room for improvement on the defensive side of the ball, too.

The Lions have struggled at times preventing the big play. They rank in the bottom third of the league in red-zone defensive percentage. And their pass rush, with a hobbled Ziggy Ansah, has looked anemic at times this year.

Ansah and Anthony Zettel are tied for the team lead with four sacks apiece, but Ansah has been quiet since a three-sack outing in Week 2 against Ereck Flowers and the New York Giants. He didn't record a tackle in a Week 3 loss to the Atlanta Falcons and his fourth sack of the season could have easily been credited to teammate Akeem Spence.

Two years removed from his career-best 14.5-sack season, Ansah has been limited by a knee injury all season, though Caldwell defended the defensive end on Monday.

"I don't know if he's struggled mightily," Caldwell said. "He's gotten a few sacks here and there and the season's not over yet. Six ballgames. Let's talk about that at the end of the year, see where he is."

Caldwell said Ansah's play shouldn't be judged on sacks alone, and he expressed confidence that the 2015 Pro Bowler will be a force again before the season is done.

"You guys look for sacks and those kinds of things," Caldwell said. "We look for disruption and assists, he has a lot of that. He makes plays for us. He sets the edge for us. He does a lot of things extremely well, but when you talk about overall, the things you guys focus on are strictly numbers in terms of sacks. Let's see where he is at the end of the year, then let's talk about it. But I think he'll be all right."

--Taylor Decker is closing in on a return from June shoulder surgery, though Caldwell acknowledged Monday that the left tackle will need practice time to knock the rust off before he is ready for game action.

"It's just like anything else, it just takes a little time to get their timing back, physical nature of the game, and all of those things that go along with it," Caldwell said. "It's a process. Best way I could explain it to you."

Left guard Graham Glasgow told reporters last week that Decker is "getting more and more antsy" to return, but Caldwell declined to update Decker's timetable on Monday.

Decker tore the labrum in his right shoulder in early June. The expectation has been that he'll be back at some point in November.

Greg Robinson, who has started all six games in Decker's absence, did not practice Monday because of an ankle injury. If Robinson can't play this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brian Mihalik could make his first career start in his place.

--Khyri Thornton was reinstated to the Lions' 53-man roster Monday, a week after he finished serving a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on substances of abuse.

Thornton acknowledged, "I made a mistake and I learned from it," though he declined to provide further details of why he was suspended.

A key rotational backup last year, Thornton is expected to help immediately at defensive tackle on a line that's dealt with its share of injuries this year.

Haloti Ngata suffered a season-ending torn biceps in a Week 5 loss to the Carolina Panthers, and the Lions lost tackle Jordan Hill and end Kerry Hyder to season-ending injuries in the preseason.

Before Thornton rejoined the team, the Lions had just three healthy defensive tackles: Akeem Spence, A'Shawn Robinson and rookie Jeremiah Ledbetter.

NOTES: S Glover Quin returned to practice Monday, nine days after suffering a concussion against the New Orleans Saints. Quin, who sat out the Lions' only practice of the bye week, has made 122 straight starts, the seventh longest active streak in the NFL. ... TE Eric Ebron did not practice Monday. Ebron, whose fiancee gave birth to the couple's first child over the bye, is expected back with the team on Wednesday. ... WR Golden Tate remains out with a shoulder sprain. Tate, who was in an arm sling over the weekend, is not expected to play Sunday against the Steelers. ... QB Brad Kaaya was waived Monday to make room for the return of DT Khyri Thornton, but could return to the Lions' practice squad. A sixth-round pick out of Miami, Kaaya spent the first six weeks of the regular season with the Carolina Panthers after the Lions cut him at the end of the preseason. The Panthers waived Kaaya last week, and the Lions claimed him on waivers.



REPORT CARD AFTER 6 GAMES

--PASSING OFFENSE: C-minus -- The Lions have been a disappointment offensively this year as Matthew Stafford has eight turnovers in six games and has been under constant pressure with 23 sacks. Stafford is completing just 60.4 percent of his passes and has turned in three straight subpar performances after a strong start. Stafford hasn't had much help from his supporting cast. Protection up front has been abysmal, especially from tackles Greg Robinson and Rick Wagner, and no one beyond Golden Tate (36 catches, 363 yards) is consistently getting open to catch the ball. Rookie Kenny Golladay has been slowed by a hamstring injury almost since his two-touchdown debut, and tight end Eric Ebron (13 catches, 102 yards) is the biggest disappointment.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: C-minus -- Running backs coach David Walker said the fairest way to judge the running game is by looking at yards per carry, and six games into the season, the Lions are averaging a disappointing 3.5 yards per rush (Walker said 4.2 yards was the goal). Ameer Abdullah is the Lions' only true rushing threat with 342 yards on 90 carries. He had a nice game against the Minnesota Vikings before leaving in the fourth quarter with an injury, and has generally gotten what's available running behind a sketchy offensive line. Theo Riddick isn't a threat as a runner, and big backs Zach Zenner and Dwayne Washington have been non-factors. The Lions currently rank 26th in the NFL at 84 yards per game, and they have just two rushing touchdowns.

--PASS DEFENSE: B -- No team is averaging more interceptions per game than the Lions (1.5), but there are some cracks in the pass defense that the Lions need to be concerned about. Opposing quarterbacks are completing nearly 65 percent of their passes, ninth best in the league; the Lions give up too many big plays (20 gains of 20-plus yards); and they don't have a consistent pass rush. Safety Glover Quin was playing at a Pro Bowl level before he suffered a concussion last week, but Ziggy Ansah (four sacks) has been a disappointment and rookie linebacker Jarrad Davis has struggled in pass coverage. Top cornerback Darius Slay has held his own against every receiver he has faced outside of Kelvin Benjamin, and nickel corner Quandre Diggs is having a bounce-back year. At their worst, the Lions let Cam Newton shred them for 355 yards passing and three touchdowns.

--RUSH DEFENSE: B-plus -- Before last week's loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Lions had one of the best run defenses in the NFL. Currently, they rank ninth at 94.3 yards per game allowed. The Lions shut down David Johnson in Week 1 (before he got hurt) and stymied a good Panthers rushing attack, but they also gave up 193 yards on the ground to the Saints and 151 to the Atlanta Falcons. Haloti Ngata was having a fine season as a run-stuffer before he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 5, and Davis has been a revelation as a run defender as a rookie. The Lions have struggled to set the edge with their defensive ends at times this year, but they have willing tackles in Diggs and safety Tavon Wilson.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: A-minus -- At 33 years old, Matt Prater remains one of the best kickers in the NFL. He's made 10 of 12 field goals this year, including four of 55-plus yards, and his only misses are kicks of 56 and 59 yards. Rookie return man Jamal Agnew has two punt-return touchdowns, though his misplay of a fourth-quarter punt against the Saints helped send the Lions to defeat. While punter Sam Martin missed the first six weeks with an ankle injury, Jeff Locke filled in nicely in his absence. Locke averaged a net of 42.2 yards per punt and was solid on kickoffs.

--COACHING: B-minus - The Lions are about where most figured they'd be after six games, 3-3. They've struggled against the best teams they've played -- the Falcons, Panthers and Saints -- beat up on the struggling Giants and Cardinals, and may have caught a break against the Vikings, when they scored a come-from-behind victory after Dalvin Cook went out for the game with a torn ACL. The Lions had a sour last outing against the Saints, when they committed five turnovers and didn't appear ready to play, but Teryl Austin has his defense playing at a high level and forcing a lot of turnovers. Jim Bob Cooter's offense is a mystery, a sum that doesn't appear equal to its parts as it can't sustain drives or make plays downfield. Overall, Jim Caldwell has done a good job managing in-game situations, and he deserves credit for having his team ready to play after a crushing last-second loss to the Falcons.