How Detroit Lions Can Fix Struggling Defense, Right Ship Early in Season

Let's be clear: The Detroit Lions have lost their first two games because of self-inflicted wounds. And if the Lions don't get right defensively, this season won't get off life support.

This defense has made every type of mistake possible. There have been bad penalties that wiped out turnovers and blown coverages. There have also been uncharacteristic schematic decisions that have left the Lions exposed.

As MLive.com's Kyle Meinke noted, it hasn't been a one-game fluke either:

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Lions defense picking up where it left off last week. That's not a good thing.

— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) September 20, 2015"

Detroit is winless. The odds are stacked heavily against the Lions returning to the playoffs.

Yet this is also the same franchise that started 0-3 and still made the postseason in 1995. With that said, the Lions will need to get a few things straight before getting any crazy ideas.

Get Reasonable

Obviously, a healthy DeAndre Levy would be a drastic improvement over the reserve linebackers. His return will give defensive coordinator Teryl Austin more options schematically.

“I’m getting close,” Levy told reporters after Sunday's game. “I’m doing everything I can do to be able to be in the position to help us.” He added that he's hoping to return to practice this week.

However, Austin needs to remember that Josh Bynes is just an OK depth piece who needs to be put in advantageous positions in order to succeed.

So why is he being asked to run across the formation to cover tight end Kyle Rudolph?

Credit: NFL Game Pass

As you can see, Bynes is lined up between the left guard and left tackle. Rudolph is slotted to the right of the offensive line. If Bynes were quick enough to handle this duty, he wouldn't be a backup linebacker.

When Rudolph runs a quick out, Bynes can't catch up and bring him down short of the first-down marker.

Whether it's asking players to do something that's physically impossible for them or leaving large gaps in Detroit's run coverage, Austin hasn't been dialing up the right number nearly as often as in 2014.

Of course, there's no Ndamukong Suh, but that's not an excuse for splitting your defensive tackles and exposing the A-gap at your own 4-yard line. It made no sense at the time, prompting Jeff Risdon of Real GM to theorize about Austin's current coaching stock:

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That object you see in the sky tonight is Teryl Austin's coaching star falling.

— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) September 20, 2015"

Get on the Same Page

Communication was surprisingly an issue in the preseason. While it was disconcerting that veterans Stephen Tulloch and Rashean Mathis—both with experience in the system—couldn't cover Jacksonville's tight end due to responsibility confusion, it was dismissed since it was the former's first game action in almost a year.

Credit: NFL Game Pass

Yet the issue remains.

When Teddy Bridgewater connected with Rudolph for Detroit's first touchdown, Glover Quin and Darius Slay were late getting to the ball. Bynes had the hook zone covered, so he shouldn't have been involved. One or both of the defensive backs either weren't sure of their responsibilities or didn't communicate with each other.

Plays unfold quickly. The hesitation from Quin and Slay gave Bridgewater the hole he needed and Minnesota the early lead it craved.

This issue needs to be resolved. Otherwise, blown coverages will continue to plague this team.

Get Healthy and Settle the Rotation

Finally, Detroit needs to get healthy.

Every team has to deal with injuries, yet few players are as integral to a unit's success as Levy. His ability to quickly recognize plays—especially screens—and tackle in space gives the defense a drive-wrecker—a player who can thwart an entire possession.

And Detroit could use a healthy Caraun Reid (ankle) too. The middle of the defense was handled on Sunday, and it all started up front as seen here on one early Adrian Peterson run:

Credit: NFL Game Pass

Gabe Wright and Jermelle Cudjo are manning the defensive tackle positions, and both see initial double-teams, with one offensive lineman ultimately headed toward the linebacker. Wright and Cudjo are moved off the ball easily and sealed off from the play.

The offensive linemen then proceed to the second level with little interference, decimating the middle of the defense and giving Peterson a crater to run through. Neither linebacker is able to easily get off the block, with Tulloch eight yards downfield when he breaks free.

Darius Slay then breaks contain by charging inside. He's trying to end the play but instead over-leverages his position. Peterson makes the cutback and hand-fights his way to an extra 20 yards.

The Lions need Reid to be the player he was hyped to be this summer. If not, Detroit will be soft up the middle when Haloti Ngata and Tyrunn Walker (who didn't play consistently against the Vikings) leave the field.

There's plenty of work here to be done. The first two problems can be immediately handled. It's unclear if there is enough talent on the roster to overcome the third if Tulloch and Walker don't rebound quickly.

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.