The Detroit Lions' defense has been a sore spot in recent years, in large part due to injuries, which were a major storyline again heading into Sunday's home opener against New Orleans at Ford Field. Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch's injuries kept them out of the game and exposed the Lions' thin secondary depth. The Lions gave up over 400 yards passing to quarterback Tyler Shough but held off a Saints comeback in a 31-30 overtime win.

After the game, Lions coach Dan Campbell addressed the defense's performance in an optimistic fashion, with Detroit scheduled to face Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, September 17, in Buffalo.

“I'm not concerned,” Campbell said, according to reporter Brad Galli, in a press conference. “I just know we can tighten some of it up, and we're gonna get better on defense.”

Campbell said Detroit is focusing on stopping the run going forward but knows the pass defense must improve. The Lions gave up 91 yards on the ground, a solid but unspectacular result. Their aggressive approach up front has to get home if the Lions are to prevent big plays.

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“We know the responsibility (in the pass game), we just got to get there a little bit quicker and a little bit cleaner,” Campbell said. “We also know, by what we were doing, we were gonna be strung out a little bit…Your guys have got to get there up front. They have to. That's the trade-off.”

The Lions sacked Shough five times, twice by Aidan Hutchinson and once each by Derrick Barnes, Roger McCreary, and Alim McNeill. Barnes and safety Chuck Clark recorded interceptions.

The Lions' big play ability has been a strength on defense for quite some time, but Campbell's words will be heavily scrutinized after defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard's unit was gashed throughout the day. A more balanced effort will be the key to beating Josh Allen's Buffalo Bills, but it seems like a tall order without Joseph and Branch.

More evidence is forthcoming for Campbell and the Lions' defense, which still has plenty of time to put it all together before the 2026 playoff push truly begins.