Detroit Lions' Biggest Obstacles to a Postseason Return
The last time the Detroit Lions had consecutive playoff appearances, the Internet was just a gleam in Al Gore's eye. Now that goal is squarely in range in 2015.
Detroit brings back 16 starters and all of its specialists from a team that racked up 11 wins and came within a play or two of the franchise's first playoff victory in 24 years. The roster has talent all across the field, with a healthy amount of competition at key positions.
"Mayhew is putting together a "No Excuses" type roster this off season this is a team who TALENT wise could go deep in Playoffs #Lions
— Soup Campbell (@LifeAfterTGame) May 13, 2015"
Yet it's incredibly hard to maintain success in a league set on providing parity. The road back to the postseason is fraught with challenges and questions that must be answered. Click through to find out what hurdles Detroit must clear next season to play past Week 17.
A Rough Running Game
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The only offensive area without any concern was the outside. The Lions arguably boast the best receiving tandem in the league with Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, but things are less settled everywhere else.
Detroit was just about the bottom of the barrel on the ground last season. Only two teams posted worse per-carry averages (San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals), and to make matters worse, Detroit was middle of the pack in terms of ball security with seven fumbles.
It appears, however, that the Lions have acknowledged that weakness, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press pointed out on Twitter:
"The Lions changed course a little. Took a pass-catching TE in Rd 1 last year, went hard on running game this year.
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) May 4, 2015"
General manager Martin Mayhew drafted Duke's Laken Tomlinson in the first round, a power blocker who could enjoy Larry Warford-like success early. The Lions then doubled down on this approach with powerful scatback Ameer Abdullah.
So long as offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi doesn't try to fit his square-peg running game into round holes again by utilizing plays that aren't suited to his offensive line (i.e. the stretch), the Lions should see a marked jump in ground production. Besides, it's not like it could get much worse.
Accuracy Issues
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It's hard to throw the ball well when the defense knows what's coming. Detroit found itself in too many 3rd-and-long situations, leading defenses to dismiss the aforementioned anemic running game and attack upfield.
That's not a good situation for any quarterback.
The tape backs up that notion. Matthew Stafford rarely had a clean pocket to step into and deliver the ball with accuracy. However, that excuse can only stretch so far. Check out these accuracy numbers provided by Pro Football Focus:
| Quarterback | Accuracy Percentage |
| 20. Ryan Fitzpatrick | 72.4 |
| 21. Geno Smith | 72.3 |
| 22. Matthew Stafford | 71.9 |
| 23. Blake Bortles | 70.0 |
Geno Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick not only aren't former top picks; they're barely worthy of starting. Yet both were able to find their target more often than Stafford, and that number controls for drops, spikes and throwaways.
There is hope, though. His performance in the Pro Bowl showed what he could do when given some time and space, but he obviously can't rely on that type of protection. And please note I'm referring to his precision, not the stats.
He still must improve—even when pressured—in order to take the next step. One way he can do so is to anticipate when the pressure will get there quickly and get the ball out, which should be easier with another year in the system.
Youth Along the Line
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As mentioned, Matthew Stafford isn't solely to blame for the offensive ineptitude. He was often under duress from an aging line that dealt with a number of injuries (and even one suspension), leading to 45 sacks on the season.
The unit (along with Joe Lombardi) was also responsible for Detroit's woeful running game. It simply lacked the athleticism to deal with the demands of the scheme. That won't be an excuse this year though, as Detroit boasts one of the youngest lines in football (h/t Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice):
"NFL projected starting OL, ranked by average age: pic.twitter.com/mY6lj3C27G
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) May 17, 2015"
There are still a couple of questions to be settled, but presumably Laken Tomlinson will be the left guard, Travis Swanson will anchor the line and LaAdrian Waddle will return to his right tackle post. If Manny Ramirez doesn't wrestle away one of those interior spots, he'll provide invaluable depth.
The line will still lack clarity, however, once the starters are cemented. Will Swanson be up to the challenge of calling out protections? Will the young guys do a better job communicating and handling the twists and stunts that tore through the line last season?
It's all unknown at this point, so these guys better grow up in a hurry if the Lions want to play in January.
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The Defensive Line Shakeup
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The other side of the trenches saw a serious shakeup as well.
In case you followed the lead of Into the Wild and went off the grid for the past few months (or years), here's a recap:
- Ndamukong Suh signed for $114 million with the Miami Dolphins
- Nick Fairley is now a St. Louis Ram
- C.J. Mosley is unsigned
- Detroit traded fourth- and fifth-round picks for Haloti Ngata
- Tyrunn Walker was brought in on a one-year deal
- Gabe Wright was selected in the fourth round (after a trade that cost next year's third-rounder)
No matter how you slice it, the Lions will be different up front. That doesn't mean the team will take a major step backward, although the approach won't be the same.
Ngata isn't the penetrating force that Suh was (and will be for Miami). Instead, he'll eat up blocks and create enough chaos to give the linebackers clean looks at ball-carriers. This should help the rushing defense maintain its lofty status, especially with Jason Jones setting the edge and Ziggy Ansah blowing up plays. Ansah was a monster against the run last year with 33 stops in 2014 (plays he caused to be offensive failures), and his star is only rising at this point.
The key will be Walker and Wright's ability to create an interior pass rush.
Walker was quite productive in limited opportunities, accumulating 14 hurries and three sacks, per PFF, in 306 snaps. However, he's attempting to fill Fairley's shoes, who was the most productive pass-rushing defensive tackle percentage-wise last season.
Wright has displayed a quick burst and even shown off his hustle in rookie minicamp, according to Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News. Neither of these guys has to do it by himself, but they must combine to pierce and push pockets when given the chance.
An Improved Division
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The playoffs are still far from guaranteed even if Detroit overcomes all these obstacles. Let's not forget that the Lions required three miraculous (if not ridiculous) finishes just to get over the hump last season. And things will certainly be tougher within the division in 2015.
The Green Bay Packers are still going to tough to crack. Aaron Rodgers didn't lose his left tackle or second-best wide receiver. The secondary did lose a couple of contributors in Tramon Williams and Devon House, but the Packers are still the best team in the division by virtue of its perennial MVP candidate.
Additionally, the Minnesota Vikings have the look of an up-and-coming problem. Another year of seasoning, wide receiver Mike Wallace and the return of Adrian Peterson give the impression that Teddy Bridgewater is ready to bust out. And Mike Zimmer is at the helm of a formidable defense that added Trae Waynes.
Heck, even the Chicago Bears added some teeth to their defense with linebacker Pernell McPhee and safety Antrel Rolle. If Jay Cutler can get out of his own way, the offense should be just fine without Brandon Marshall.
The competition will be fierce within the division, but that's to be expected. Now it's on Detroit to go out and earn that second consecutive playoff berth.
All combine statistics are sourced from NFL.com. All advanced stats, rankings and grades are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.
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