The Detroit Lions have the kind of offense that can drag a game into a shootout and still make it look routine. Through five games, they’re scoring almost 33 points a week, and that side of the ball has done more than enough to keep the team in the win column. The issue is what’s happening on the other end: the defense is giving up nearly 30 points per game, which leaves little margin for error and puts a premium on every stop, every takeaway, every hidden-yardage moment.
That made the Week 5 win over the Arizona Cardinals feel important in more ways than one. Both sides of the ball showed up, and the Lions looked closer to the version of themselves they’ll need going forward. The challenge now is turning that performance into the standard instead of treating it like a one-week spike.
So when you ask which player needs to make a bigger impact after the bye, there are plenty of candidates.
Jameson Williams is one obvious name on offense. He has 18 catches for 276 yards and two touchdowns, but the ask here is about consistency.
More steady hands would help, and so would a bigger role on intermediate routes. Isaac TeSlaa is another offensive player who stands out.
He has nine catches for 187 yards, but with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Williams all ahead of him, fewer than 10 receptions and no touchdowns is still a surprise for someone who looked like he was trending up at this point last season.
The defense offers just as many possibilities. The secondary could use a bigger lift from D.J.
Reed and whoever lines up at CB2 from week to week, whether that’s Roger McCreary, Ennis Rakestraw, or Rock Ya-Sin. At safety, Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are badly needed back, with Branch’s return looking more likely than Joseph’s at the moment.
But the answer here is Jack Campbell.
Campbell’s 2025 All-Pro season set a high bar, and he has not matched it in 2026. Last year, he was flying around like a football-seeking missile.
This season, he has looked off more often than not. His coverage has dropped sharply, and he, along with other Lions linebackers, has been attacked repeatedly.
That can point to a schematic problem as much as a personnel one, but the bottom line is the same: the linebacking group has struggled, and Campbell has been a big part of that picture.
For a Lions defense that needs steadier play, Campbell remains too important to be merely average. If Detroit wants the post-bye stretch to go the right way, it needs him back near his best.
In Other News...
Lions May Have A Cheap Secondary Fix They Didn't Expect
Alontae Taylors situation in Tennessee is suddenly worth watching, and not just because the Titans have already started to shuffle pieces around in their secondary. The cornerback, who had built a reputation for stronger play with the Saints, has seen that stock dip since arriving in Tennessee, and now Detroit is being mentioned as a possible landing spot if the Lions decide they want another inexpensive way to bolster their back end.
For a Detroit defense that has been searching for answers in the secondary, Taylor is the kind of name that can make sense on paper: young enough to matter, experienced enough to help, and potentially available if Tennessees view of his fit keeps going south. Nothing has been finalized, but the possibility alone is enough to keep an eye on, especially if the Lions are looking for a move that could change their defensive depth without costing them much. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Defensive Blame Is Starting To Shift In A Telling Way
The Lions defensive frustrations have naturally put Kelvin Sheppard under a microscope, but the conversation around what is actually wrong in that unit is starting to broaden. ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell has pushed back on the idea that the problems belong to the coordinator alone, arguing that the deeper issue is a shortage of talent in the defensive backfield, which has made the secondary easier to attack all season.
Detroit did show something to build on in Week 5, when the defense turned in a much stronger outing and gave Dan Campbell reason to sound more encouraged. Campbell praised Sheppard and the group for the progress, but he also made clear the standard has not changed, and the Lions still need more consistent play before anyone can call the defense fixed. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Face A Tough Week 7 Test If One Defensive Issue Lingers
The Lions are headed into a Week 7 home meeting with the Packers in a spot that should draw plenty of attention, especially with Green Bay bringing a very different look than the version Detroit saw in past seasons. The Packers have made major changes in both the coaching staff and the roster, including the arrival of Jonathan Gannon as head coach along with a number of personnel moves on both sides of the ball, and that kind of turnover can make an opponent harder to project from one week to the next.
For Detroit, the bigger concern is whether a lingering defensive issue shows up again at the wrong time. The Lions can get by when their defense is organized and on schedule, but this matchup has the feel of one where any uncertainty could matter, particularly against a Packers team still sorting out its identity. If the same problem hangs around into Sunday, it could turn a straightforward divisional test into a much trickier afternoon than the Lions want. [Read more 🡒]