As we’ve been doing for several years now, we’ll break down the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponent each week, telling you what to expect from a scheme and individual standpoint. This year, Jonathan Heitritter and I will cover the opposing team’s defense. I will focus on the scheme, and Jonathan will analyze the players.
Today, we are scouting the Detroit Lions’ defense ahead of Week 16’s game against Pittsburgh.
Alex’s Scheme Report
Lions’ Run Defense
The Lions run a base 4-3, but DE Aidan Hutchinson can play with his hand up or down. Overall, the run defense has been above-average. Detroit is giving up just over 106 rushing yards per game, 13th entering the week. The Lions are only allowing 4.0 YPC, and the longest run the unit has given up all season is just 31 yards. That’s second-best of any team this year. Detroit has allowed 12 rushing touchdowns this season.
As a unit, they have given up 42 rushes of 10 or more yards. That is wholly average and tied with Pittsburgh for 16th.
Detroit plays an uncommon amount of base defense. Perhaps recent injuries in the secondary have played a factor, but the team’s three starting linebackers don’t often leave the field. Former first-rounder Jack Campbell is fourth in the NFL with 143 total tackles and plays 99 percent of the time. Alex Anzalone has 84 tackles on 98 percent of the snaps, while Derrick Barnes has 65 tackles on 85 percent of the snaps. Their least-used starter is only off the field 15 percent of the time. That is exceedingly rare in today’s NFL.
Campbell and DE Aidan Hutchinson are tied for the team lead with nine tackles for loss.
Schematically, the Lions like playing an “over” front to the strength of the opposing formation against 12 personnel with two tight ends to a side.
Pittsburgh likes going heavy to one side with Spencer Anderson and Darnell Washington, making this an interesting chess match.
The Lions like to use run blitzes and will get aggressive on early downs. Watch the Fire-X blitz here from the off-ball linebackers.
First-round rookie Tyleik Williams hasn’t put up big numbers on the stat sheet, but he’s a stout man in the middle. Still, it seems like running between the tackles has been opposing offenses’ best method of attack on the ground. Detroit’s linebackers are athletic and flow well. But they can be attacked up the gut, especially with wider o-line splits and eye candy from the quarterback/motion.
Here are some other important defensive numbers. Detroit ranks just 23rd in scoring defense. They have allowed 25.3 points per game. Even worse, the Lions have allowed 30-plus points in each of their last three games. This includes 41 in Week 15’s shootout loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Detroit also ranks 21st in total yards per game allowed at just under 340 per game.
Using Defensive EPA, the Lions have been negative in 10 of their 14 games and each of their last four.
Situationally, the Lions are above-average on third down (36.8 percent, 10th) but have struggled in the red zone (61.7 percent, 23rd). Detroit has forced 17 turnovers this year, tied 11th, and has multiple in five games.
Lions’ Pass Defense
A leaky unit due to numerous injuries: losing Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph, D.J. Reed, and Terrion Arnold has been a big blow. As a group, the Lions have allowed over 231 yards per game through the air. That’s 24th in the NFL. Detroit isn’t allowing a high completion percentage, but that’s arguably indicative of teams throwing downfield on them. Opposing quarterbacks are completing just 61.5 percent of their passes (6th) but for a 7.5 YPA (27th).
No team gives up more big pass plays than the Lions. A total of 54 of 20-plus yards given up on the season. That number doesn’t even do it justice. With injuries mounting, Detroit has allowed an incredible 27 over the past three games. No other defense has allowed more than 16 over that span.
Detroit has also allowed 28 passing scores this year, a bottom-five figure.
As a rush unit, the Lions are 17th in blitz rate (23.4 percent) and 13th in pressure rate (24 percent). Detroit is good at getting after the quarterback, ranked seventh league-wide with 39 sacks. Aidan Hutchinson is healthy and leads the team with 9.5 of them, though Al-Quadin Muhammad is right behind with nine.
The Lions have picked off 12 passes this year. Most of those come from injured players like Kerby Joseph (three) and D.J Reed (two). No healthy player has more than one pick this year.
Schematically, the Lions man up when it matters most and play man coverage on third and fourth down. These clips are all from third/fourth down.
Detroit struggles defending play-action. Pittsburgh should lean on it for quick completions on crossers and in the flats.
The secondary also struggles with double-moves. Pittsburgh could get a big play off a stop-and-go or sluggo.
From a pass-rush perspective, the Lions like to place their defensive ends in Wide 9 alignments. Pittsburgh will likely respond with plenty of chip help with tight ends/running backs on the line to slow them down. Like the Rams do below.
Jonathan’s Individual Report
The Pittsburgh Steelers head to Detroit to face an 8-6 Lions squad that has played hot and cold after being the top seed in the NFC last season. Detroit has a middle-of-the-road defense statistically, ranking 23rd in points allowed and 21st in total yards allowed. The Lions are 24th against the pass and 13th against the run. They have battled through a massive injury bug this season, but still have several good players to make this unit a tough one to face.
Defensive Line
No. 54 Alim McNeil is a bit of a dancing bear at 6-2, 310 pounds, playing with impressive twitch and quickness while also possessing the brute strength to jolt blockers off their spot. He can line up anywhere from nose tackle to outside the offensive tackle and is a strong run stuffer who can also play chase to the passer.
Starting alongside McNeil is No. 98 D.J. Reader, whom Pittsburgh well knows after being a member of the Cincinnati Bengals for four seasons. Reader is a pure run stuffer, standing 6-3, 330 pounds with the size and strength to eat up two gaps and double-teams in the middle. He has some pass-rush juice and posted three sacks last season. But he has zero in 2025 and subs out a fair amount on passing downs.
The Lions drafted No. 91 Tyleik Williams in the first round, and the Ohio State product has started nine games as a rookie. He has yet to record his first NFL sack, but he’s contributed a fair amount on base downs as a run defender. Also providing depth for Detroit are No. 94 Mekhi Wingo and No. 51 Roy Lopez, with Lopez playing roughly 35 percent of the Lions’ defensive snaps. He has 27 total stops, four tackles for loss, and two sacks this season.
EDGE
No. 97 Aidan Hutchinson has developed into the player Detroit hoped he would be after drafting him second overall in 2022. Hutchinson has battled back from a season-ending injury five games into 2024 and hasn’t lost a step. Still powerful and explosive, he has 39 total stops, nine tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, three pass deflections, and an interception in last week’s game against the Rams. The 6-7, 268-pound Hutchinson presents a big test for Pittsburgh’s offensive tackles.
Starting opposite Hutchinson is No. 92 Marcus Davenport, who has been trying to find his footing after playing five seasons with the New Orleans Saints, who drafted him in the first round in 2018, and one with the Minnesota Vikings. The 6-6, 285-pound Davenport has immense size as well as length and athleticism. His best season came in 2021 when he posted nine sacks and forced three fumbles. Since then, he’s posted 3.5 sacks across three seasons. Still, Davenport is a disruptor and a decent run defender who must be accounted for.
A player to watch who doesn’t start but rotates in a fair amount is No. 96 Al-Quadin Muhammad. The 6-3, 250-pounder has been on a tear this season, hitting a career-high nine sacks in 14 games. Muhammad wins with pure speed off the edge. He has an explosive get-off and can rip through the tackle’s outside shoulder or go into his chest with power or counter inside.
Providing edge depth for the Lions are No. 99 Tyrus Wheat and No. 78 Tyler Lacy. They rotate in on occasion to spell their top three pass rushers.
Linebackers
Setting the tone for the Lions’ linebacker corps is No. 46 Jack Campbell, who is having a strong third NFL season after Detroit drafted him 18th overall in 2023. Campbell has racked up 143 total stops (77 solo), nine tackles for loss, five sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one pass deflection as a guy who thrives near the line of scrimmage. He stands 6-5, 246 pounds but has impressive speed to fly to the football in pursuit.
Also starting at linebacker is No. 34 Alex Anzalone, who plays with his hair on fire and is the heartbeat of this Lions defense. Anzalone is capable of playing the run, dropping into coverage, and rushing the passer. Look for him to draw the matchup with Pittsburgh’s tight ends and occasionally Kenneth Gainwell out of the backfield. He has a career-high eight pass deflections already this season.
No. 55 Derrick Barnes has developed into a quality starter since the Lions drafted him in the fourth round in 2021, playing his best ball close to the line of scrimmage as a run stuffer and blitzer. He has a career-high four sacks this season but has been vulnerable in pass coverage. Barnes has allowed a 90.5-percent completion rate for 179 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, according to Pro Football Reference.
Providing depth at linebacker are No. 44 Malcolm Rodriguez, No. 15 Grant Stuard, and No. 53 Trevor Nowaske, all of whom play prominent roles on special teams.
Cornerbacks
No. 4 D.J. Reed and No. 23 Rock Ya-Sin are the starters. Reed is an established NFL starter, playing the last few seasons with the Jets and the Seahawks before that. Reed missed nearly a month in October due to injury, but he’s back and playing well, allowing a 57.8-percent completion rate while picking off two passes and deflecting six others as Detroit’s top corner right now.
Ya-Sin has been a bit of a journeyman since coming into the league in 2019, but he’s been called upon with all the injuries in Detroit’s secondary. He has been playing relatively well, having started the last three games while allowing 50 percent of his targets against to be completed. He competes at the catch point, but he will be a guy Pittsburgh looks to target.
No. 21 Amik Robertson hurt his hand last week against the Rams, but there is optimism that he will play through it against Pittsburgh. Robertson has developed into a quality player for Detroit. Best suited for the slot, he has also shown that he can step up and man the outside against the likes of Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase when called upon. He’s a physical defender who loves to tackle and uses that same demeanor to compete at the catch point.
Providing depth at cornerback is a familiar face in No. 27 Arthur Maulet, who has played 105 defensive snaps this season, as well as No. 30 Khalil Dorsey and No. 38 Nick Whiteside. Both provide special teams value.
Safeties
Kerby Joseph injured his knee in October and recently suffered a setback in practice, making him unlikely to suit up in this game. Behind him is No. 29 Avonte Maddox, who is in his first season with Detroit after spending eight years with the Eagles. Maddox moved to safety for the Lions and has played well there, using his speed to run the alley in run support as well as in pursuit of the football. Maddox can be tested in coverage, and matchups like with Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth would be smart ones for Pittsburgh to exploit.
No. 12 Thomas Harper has been starting at safety as well with Brian Branch out for the season. Harper suffered a concussion two weeks ago against Dallas and was held out of last week’s game against the Rams, but could be cleared to return this week. Harper has 27 total tackles, four pass deflections, and an interception this season. Providing depth at safety are No. 13 Jalen Mills, who hasn’t played a snap yet for the Lions, and No. 2 Daniel Thomas, who is primarily a special teamer.