Detroit Lions film review: Exploring formations, alignments and execution of defenders in new or expanded roles
Allen Park — Maybe I’m reading more into it than I should, but the Detroit Lions’ decision to use three players signed days earlier on the team’s first defensive snap almost felt like an act of defiance.
It was as if defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was announcing to the world, ‘Yeah, we’re shorthanded, so what?’
It wasn’t always pretty — it never was going to be — but Glenn still managed to paint a masterpiece in what was arguably his finest coaching performance to date. Missing five starters from the team's Week 1 front seven, and losing another to injury in the opening half, the defense opened up with three stops, held the Green Bay Packers to seven points in the first half, and got enough down the stretch to help the team to a critical division win, preserving their position atop the NFC with four games remaining in the regular season.
In all, 21 defenders saw the field and 18 played at least eight snaps. There were five debuts — including four players who joined the Lions last week — and two career-high workloads. For this week’s film review, we’re going to revisit how Glenn pieced together the game plan, how he utilized the new pieces, and how each performed within their roles.