As the NFL season unfolds, the Detroit Lions find themselves in a stellar position, boasting a 10-1 record. This achievement marks their best start since 1934. The Lions have not only captured attention with their record but also with a comprehensive performance across all facets of the game. Currently, they rank within the top ten in Expected Points Added (EPA) per game spanning offense, defense, and special teams. This holistic strength is a testament to their balanced and strategic gameplay.
Defensive Might and Strategic Excellence
Leading the charge on defense, the Lions have allowed the second-fewest points per game in the NFL this year at an average of 16.6 points. Particularly impressive is their performance since Week 6, despite losing one of their defensive stalwarts, Aidan Hutchinson, to injury. Without Hutchinson, the Lions’ defense has remarkably tightened, allowing a mere 15.3 points per game on average. Entering Thanksgiving, the Lions have demonstrated their defensive prowess by holding opponents to under seven points in consecutive games and have not given up a touchdown in ten straight quarters.
Key contributors to this defensive success are safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. Their performances in the 2024 season have been nothing short of outstanding, with Joseph and Branch earning Pro Football Focus grades of 91.3 and 88.1, respectively. Together, they have intercepted 11 passes without allowing a single touchdown in their coverage. This rare achievement also sees them as the only defensive players this season to throttle quarterbacks to a passer rating of 20.0 or below when targeted.
The Emerging Defensive Stars
Selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Kerby Joseph has quickly asserted himself as a defensive linchpin. He is the only player since 2000 to have accumulated over 200 tackles and 15 interceptions in his first 40 starts. Such statistics underscore not just his skill and intuition on the field but also his ability to impact games consistently and across multiple seasons.
Brian Branch, a second-round pick from 2023, complements Joseph with his own brand of relentless defense. In a mere 25 career games, Branch has already surpassed 125 tackles and defended more than 25 passes, illustrating both his quick adaptation to the professional level and his sustained contribution to the Lions’ secondary defenses.
Aerial Fortifications
In the realm of controlling the aerial threat, the Lions’ defensive strategy has been peerless. This season, they have allowed only one completion on throws of 20 or more air yards inside the numbers, an aspect of their game that resonates with their broader defensive success. This achievement speaks volumes of the discipline and execution with which their secondary, anchored by Joseph and Branch, participates in downfield coverages.
Such statistical mastery is bolstered further by the effectiveness of the Lions’ special teams, which also ranks in the top-10 for EPA. Together, these units create a harmonious balance that is often the difference in closely contested games.
Ending with Poise
As the Lions continue their campaign, their early-season form suggests that they are not merely chasing victories but laying a foundation for sustained success. While the postseason still looms, and challenges will certainly escalate, the Detroit Lions of this year have made a declarative statement about their strength and potential.
With players like Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch continuing to excel and catalyze their defensive charge, the Lions' faithful have every reason to engage this narrative with optimism. Indeed, this is a team that has returned to its roots of strong, disciplined football—a team that, if their current path is any indication, seems poised to replicate the form of successful seasons past while forging new milestones along the way.