Detroit Lions' Defensive Line Foundation for Revival, Gives Hope for Future

Lost in the falling crowd of Green Bay Packers in the end zone and the Detroit Lions' 45-point explosion on Thanksgiving has been the defensive line.

Everyone remembers Ezekiel Ansah's 3.5-sack act against Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson, but the focus quickly shifts back to Matthew Stafford's five scoring tosses and Calvin Johnson's touchdown trifecta.

It's understandable. Fantasy football sells tickets and NFL RedZone doesn't cut to a different game for a sack.

However, the offense isn't the foundation for Detroit's now-defunct three-game winning streak. That honor is saved for the defense, and more specifically, the defensive line.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Shutting Down the Run

No offense can thrive when it's turned one-dimensional. If the opponent knows you cannot run or cannot pass, he'll simply adjust and throw everything he has to frustrate the one thing you do well.

That's exactly what defensive coordinator Teryl Austin's unit has been able to do.

Week - Opponent	Yards	Week - Opponent	Yards
Weeks 1-7	123.4 ypg	Week 11 - Oakland	52
Week 8 - Kansas City	206	Week 12 - Philadelphia	68
Week 10 - Green Bay	47	Week 13 - Green Bay	67

The entire defense has done a better job tackling, which has helped tremendously, but those linebackers and defensive backs can't flow to the ball if the defensive line doesn't do its job.

Caraun Reid deserves to be singled out for his improvement in this facet of the game. He's learned how to anchor against single and double teams and is penetrating well with six defensive stops (plays that constitute an offensive failure) to his credit in the last four games, per Pro Football Focus.

He's also picked up Ndamukong Suh's old and formerly famous hustle.

"

Caraun Reid saved that screen pass, got back just quick enough to make the tackle for short gain

— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) December 4, 2015"

Of course, Jason Jones and Ansah have continued setting the edge and cutting off running backs' efforts to bounce it outside after slamming into the formidable middle of the defense.

Creating Pressure or Containing the Quarterback

As mentioned before, the national media is starting to catch on to what Ansah is doing in Detroit. 

"

Lions DE Ezekial Ansah is tied for the league lead in pass rush productivity at 13.3 (43 pressures on 261 rushes)

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) December 4, 2015"

This isn't a one-year anomaly, either. Ansah finished third among 4-3 defensive ends last season in pass-rushing productivity with 64 total pressures. Additionally, his 12.5 sacks this season are already a career-high, putting him in second place in the league behind J.J. Watt.

And he's getting more help this season from his bookend, Jason Jones, who currently has the 10th-best pass-rushing productivity rate. That's a serious improvement from someone who used to be benched in favor of reserve George Johnson on passing plays a year ago.

The above rankings are determined by including defensive ends who play at least half of a team's snaps. If you open that variable up to those who have played at least 25 percent, then reserve Devin Taylor makes the list (31st). He's starting to get noticed too.

"

Lions flipped Ansah to left DE for a play or two early. No need to keep doing it with Devin Taylor dominating like this.

— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurke_SI) December 4, 2015"

You won't find any of Detroit's interior defensive linemen up nearly so high in the defensive tackle rankings. However, Reid and Haloti Ngata have been integral for twists and stunts.

Plus, the entire line as a unit did a great job containing Aaron Rodgers. They didn't get after him too often, but that was by design because Rodgers does a lot of damage when he gets outside the tackles.

Whoever takes over as general manager for Detroit will have some decisions to make with Jones, Ngata and Tyrunn Walker set to become free agents. But there are plenty of reasons for hope up front defensively for the rest of this season and beyond.

All advanced stats are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter @BrandonAlisoglu.