Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard demanding more from pass rush

While a few days ago Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said there were only a few plays against the Green Bay Packers in which they should have generated pressure and didn’t, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard was singing a much different tune during his Monday morning press conference.

“I don’t think we’ve affected the quarterback to play any style these last couple of weeks. I don’t care what kind of style we want to play,” Sheppard said. “And the guys understand that and again, that starts with me. I’m not going to just point the finger, ‘You’ve got to win the one-on-one.’ Yeah, no shit. Yeah, you’ve got to win your one-on-ones in this league. But I also got to find ways to try to maximize what we do have to our disposal and put these guys in optimal position to be able to win, give them tools to win.”

In the past four weeks, the Lions have produced just four total sacks—only two teams have fewer over that span. And of those four sacks, the defensive line is just responsible for 2.5 of them. For the season, the Lions are allowing the longest time to throw for opposing quarterbacks of any team in the league at 2.99 seconds.

Sheppard says everything is on the table to fix the problems, from personnel changes to schematic alterations. And, yes, it’s also on the players to play better.

“There’s things that we’re going to switch up a little bit by personnel, by schematically. But at the end of the day, you’re starting to get into November, December, players make plays,” Sheppard said.

Aidan Hutchinson has drawn the criticism of some fans and analysts. After starting the season with 7.0 sacks in his first eight games, Hutchinson has just 1.5 in his last four contests. But Sheppard defended Hutchinson, calling him one of the best—if not the best—defensive end in football, and noting that he needs help from the other players around him.

“He knows just like we know, people are going to plan for him. That’s why he is one of the best and he has to combat that,” Sheppard said. “But it isn’t a one-man show. Other people have to win. And when I mean—I’m not just talking about Hutch, I’m not just talking about (Alim McNeill) Mac. I thought Mac was a very impactful rusher in the middle all Thanksgiving day. But it just can’t be those two guys. When your name is called, if you draw a one-on-one, you have to win in this league if you want to be around. And it’s just simple as that.”

Another problem with the Lions’ pass rush is that while they’ve been able to create pressure, they haven’t been able to get home. Per NFL Pro, Detroit’s pressure rate of 38.7% is actually the fifth-highest in the NFL, but it’s taking too long, and it’s not having enough impact on the game. Sheppard made it clear close isn’t acceptable.

“It’s a lot of too close, almost happening still in November going into now December where that absolutely won’t be tolerated. Being close isn’t good enough,” Sheppard said.

Unfortunately for the Lions, they’ve got a big test ahead of them. The Dallas Cowboys have one of the best passing offenses in football, ranking first in yardage (271.3 per game), fifth in EPA/pass (+0.14), and they have allowed the second-lowest sack rate in football (3.7%). They’re alsoo led by one of the best receiving duos in football with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.

“They do a really good job keeping them apart as well. And what I mean by that is on opposite sides, which means you have to cover the whole field,” Sheppard said. “You rarely see them together and that’s good. (Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer) Schotty’s doing an outstanding job. They have some of the top personnel in the league.”