When the Detroit Lions hired Matt Patricia to be their head coach after the 2017 season, they probably expected the actual-rocket-scientist and Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator from the Patriots to bring with him a stifling defense.
A year and a half into the Patricia era, that is clearly not the case. Last year, the Lions defense ranked 27th in defensive DVOA, and specifically ranked 31st against the pass. Things improved in the last quarter of the year, which led some to believe the poor performance was due to the Lions adapting from a strict Wide 9 defense to Patricia’s multiple front defense that he had run in New England.