Kelvin Sheppard has heard the talk about the Detroit Lions’ defense, and he wants no part of it. With his unit sitting at the bottom of the NFL in yards allowed, the defensive coordinator pushed back hard on Thursday against the idea that the Lions’ high-powered offense will have to carry the team.
“I can care less about perceptions. I can care less about the talk. It’s all poison,” Sheppard told reporters. “And I mean that. Every word of it’s poison.
And I told the players, so is the praise. The praise is the big poison.” He also drew a firm line on the idea that the offense must carry the load.
“We have a three-phase team here, and I firmly believe that,” Sheppard said. “And I think that’s ultra disrespectful to my unit to say somebody has to carry us. We’re going to do our one-third here, hell or high water, point blank, period.”
The numbers make his stance a tough sell. Detroit is allowing 423.8 yards per game, the most in the league, and has given up 127 points through four games, which ranks 31st. Opponents have scored at least 30 points in three of those contests, including the Panthers in a 32-26 loss on Sunday night that dropped the Lions to 2-2.
Bryce Young threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns in that game and carved up Detroit when it sent extra rushers. Despite that, Sheppard refused to second-guess his approach.
“Those calls were the right calls,” Sheppard said. “Those calls were the right calls, and I leave it at that.”
Kelvin Sheppard on the Lions' lack of success when blitzing: "Those calls were the right calls. Those calls were the right calls." pic.twitter.com/yJP5gALqct
— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) October 8, 2026
Asked about the disconnect between the calls and the results, he declined to get into specifics.
“Those are private conversations that we have that I’m gonna keep in-house,” Sheppard said. “Those calls were the right calls.”
Sheppard did acknowledge that his group fell short against Carolina, saying the defense “did not play well enough” to help the team win. Up front, Aidan Hutchinson leads all edge defenders with 29 pressures, according to PFF, and Detroit ranks third in the league in pressure rate.
The offense has more than held up its end, scoring 119 points, fifth-most in the NFL. Sheppard’s unit gets its next chance to change the narrative on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.