2018 wasn’t a successful year for the Detroit Lions by just about any measure. A 6-10 season was a big step back for a franchise who had just put together its first back-to-back winning seasons in a couple decades. It was an inauspicious start to the Matt Patricia era that has fans understandably worried about the future of the franchise.
But during his year as a rookie head coach, there were glimpses of why the Lions made the hire and what the former Patriots defensive coordinator can bring to the team. Andy Benoit of Sports Illustrated did a great job highlighting one of those things this week, pointing to Detroit’s masterful defensive gameplan in their Week 13 game against the Los Angeles Rams.