The Detroit Lions’ defense has spent the first month of the 2026 season taking hits on the scoreboard, and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard isn’t interested in hearing that the offense is bailing everybody out.
Through four games, Detroit sits at the bottom of the NFL in passing yards allowed per game at 304. The gap is ugly, too - more than 20 yards worse than the next closest team. The Lions are also last in total yards allowed per game at 423.8 and second to last in points allowed per game at 31.8.
At the same time, the offense has done its part, ranking near the top of the league across those same categories and repeatedly putting up enough points to keep Detroit afloat.
So when Sheppard was asked Thursday about the idea that the Lions’ offense is “carrying” the defense, he pushed back hard.
“I could care less about perceptions. I could care less about the talk.
It's all poison,” Sheppard said. “We have a three-phase team here and I fully believe that.
I'm going to stand strong in that belief.
“I think that's ultra disrespectful to my unit to say someone has to carry us. We're going to do our one-third here.
Hell or high water. Point blank, period.”
Detroit’s offense has scored at least 26 points in every game so far. That included 31 points in an overtime win against the New Orleans Saints and 31 again in a win over the New York Jets. But 26 points wasn’t enough last weekend, when Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers scored 32.
The Lions will try to bounce back in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
In Other News...
Dan Campbell Just Put More Pressure On Detroit's Offense
The Lions have spent the early part of the season trying to keep pace in games that have turned into shootouts, and Dan Campbells message leaves little room for comfort. With the defense giving up big point totals in several outings, the coach made it clear that Detroits offense has to carry a heavier load if the team wants to stay above the middle of the pack and keep its bigger hopes alive.
Campbells benchmark is as blunt as it gets: the Lions need to be putting up at least 35 points a game to help cover for the defensive problems and give themselves a realistic chance to contend. It is the kind of standard that puts immediate pressure on every drive, and it also raises the obvious question of whether this roster can sustain that level long enough to matter in a playoff race. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Suddenly Have A Sam LaPorta Situation To Watch
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LaPorta has described the situation as a stalemate, but he has also sounded upbeat about the possibility of revisiting negotiations down the road. That leaves the Lions in a spot worth monitoring, because when a player has already established himself as a central part of the passing game, every pause in talks carries a little more weight than it might elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Holmes Keeps Facing The Same Lions Secondary Problem
At the 2024 NFL scouting combine, Brad Holmes made clear how much he values cornerback play, and the Lions general manager has kept acting on that belief ever since. Detroit has tried to patch up its secondary through the draft and free agency, bringing in Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw in 2024 while also signing veterans such as Cam Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley, but the results have been uneven as injuries and inconsistent play have continued to complicate the picture.
Holmes has taken multiple swings at the position, yet the same problem keeps surfacing in Detroit: finding and keeping cornerbacks who can hold up over time. With players like Carlton Davis moving on and the secondary still a lingering concern, the Lions are left with a familiar question about whether the answer is simply adding more talent or finally solving the evaluation and retention side of the job. [Read more 🡒]