On Wednesday, Football Outsiders’ Assistant Editor Scott Kacsmar told us that if the Detroit Lions’ pass rush is lacking in 2018, they better have an elite secondary to compensate. It is extremely rare to sport an above-average defense if you aren’t creating consistent pressure on the quarterback, and the only way to survive is forcing a lot of interceptions with your defensive backs.
The Lions were able to do something like that last year. Darius Slay led the league in picks last year, and the Lions were able to finish the season tied for the fourth-most interceptions in the league.