Three Things Lions Can Do to Improve On Third-Down

Pass protection

With two young players on the interior offensive line and an injury to their left tackle, the Lions have had to endure some growing pains on the offensive line. By and large, the group has made things work, but there have been areas where the youth has caused issues.

Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratledge have both been showing improvement on a weekly basis, so there's reason to believe that they will continue to grow within the Lions' second half of the season. Limiting interior pressures against stunts will no doubt help the offense be more successful on third-downs.

Elsewhere, Taylor Decker returned in Week 7 after a two-week absence, during which the Lions had Giovanni Manu and Dan Skipper starting in his place. Decker has been hampered by a shoulder injury for much of the season.

Quarterback Jared Goff thrives in a clean pocket, and teams are sending more pressure on third-down in an effort to disrupt this. In the clip below, both tackles are overwhelmed by bull-rushes from the edge resulting in a strip-sack.

By improving in this element, the Lions will allow their quarterback to thrive in a cleaner environment, which will in turn set up the opportunity for him to pick apart the opposing defense.

Near-misses

The Lions have not hesitated to test defenses vertically on third-downs, and at times the connection between Goff and his receivers has been just slightly off.

For instance, the below example is from Detroit's Week 4 win over Cleveland. In this game, one of the storylines was the inability of Goff and Jameson Williams to connect. Williams is a burner on the perimeter who draws plenty of attention from defenses, but has endured some struggles getting involved.

On this specific play, pass protection also plays a role as Goff gets heat from the interior. A twist from the Browns' defensive line opens up a free rusher, and the veteran quarterback has to release the ball slightly quicker than he ideally would.

The result is an incomplete pass, with milliseconds potentiall separating the offense from another big play.

Little things going a long way

Sometimes, the Lions struggles on third-downs can be drawn simply to a well-timed call from the defense or one missed assignment. There are several examples of a missed block leading to a stifled conversion throughout Detroit's tape on third-down through seven games.

Other times, anticipation from the defense plays a definite role. On the below clip from Detroit's loss to Kansas City in Week 6, a well-designed blitz results in the Lions being unable to block a defender. Cornerback Trent McDuffie blitzes, and Amon-Ra St. Brown is unable to get to him because he runs into Sam LaPorta, who is trying to block Charles Omenihu.

Detroit has shown it's not afraid to roll the dice on fourth down under Campbell, and this year is no different. However, some of the struggles on third-down have crept into fourth-down, as incompletions or stifled runs have prevented the offense from being in a more favorable position to convert on fourth.

Final thoughts

Detroit's third-down struggles are uncharacteristic, and because of that there's plenty indicating that they will be able to right the ship in this area.

Morton has plenty of talent at his disposal, and the bye week likely gave him an opportunity to self-scout and find ways to improve in this area. This could result in the team using players like Jahmyr GIbbs and Jameson Williams in more unique ways.

While the Lions have still found ways to put up points even amidst the struggles on third-down, late in the year these struggles could haunt them. As a result, finding the answers promptly will do wonders for them in their championship chase.