The Lions have the NFL’s worst defense and coach Dan Campbell has no quick fixes

DETROIT (AP) — Dan Campbell knows his Detroit Lions have serious defensive issues.

He’s just not sure about the best way to help his team overcome them.

After falling to 2-2 with a 32-26 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday night, the Lions rank last in the NFL in yards allowed per game (423.8) and points allowed per game (31.8). That’s been enough to negate an offense that ranks in the top six in yardage and scoring.

“The bottom line is that we have to work through this,” Campbell said Monday. “There are things we haven’t tried defensively, and we’re looking at everyone we’ve got here from our own roster to the practice squad. There might be people who we need to push into different spots or it might be about making different calls.”

Against the Panthers, the defense stiffened at the end of the game. With the Lions trailing 32-19 in the fourth quarter, the Lions forced two punts. Jared Goff took advantage the first time, throwing a touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta with 3:38 to play, but on the second drive, Goff took a sack and then the Lions were stopped on fourth down.

“We got two stops and gave ourselves a chance to go down and get the win,” Campbell said. “Until we find our true footing, we’re going to have a lot of games like that, and we have to take advantage when we have those opportunities.”

The Lions committed nine penalties for 67 yards, and many of them were on the offensive side of the ball. On the drive before Goff’s touchdown pass to LaPorta, they faced fourth-and-10 from the Carolina 15, but took a delay of game followed by a false start and couldn’t convert on fourth-and-20.

“That’s the starting point in all three phases,” Campbell said. “It’s the penalties, especially the pre-snap penalties and the discipline penalties. We just kind of implode at times.”

What’s working

The Lions weren’t able to finish off a comeback on Sunday night, but their offense is averaging 29.8 points and 399.3 yards per game. They’ve only turned the ball over once this season while scoring at least 25 points in all four games.

What needs help

Opposing quarterbacks are completing passes at a 69.8% clip with 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Detroit is giving up an average of 304 yards passing per game, another category where it ranks last in the NFL.

Stock up

Goff is averaging more than 300 yards passing per game with a 67.7% completion rate, and he hasn’t turned the ball over a single time in more than 170 touches.

Stock down

The Panthers did an outstanding job of bottling up Jahmyr Gibbs. He carried the ball 15 times for 46 yards and caught four passes on seven targets for 31 yards. His longest play was 13 yards.

Injuries

Campbell said safety Brian Branch could start practicing this week, although it isn’t clear if he could play Sunday against Arizona or if he is more likely to return after Detroit’s bye week. The loss to Carolina came exactly 10 months after he tore an Achilles tendon against the Dallas Cowboys.

“I’m hopeful,” Campbell said. “We haven’t gotten confirmation from the doctor yet, but that’s all we are waiting on right now.”

Cornerback Rock Ya-Sin is a significant question mark after straining a hamstring against the Panthers.

Key number

0 — The number of division games the Lions will have played before their Week 6 bye. Detroit plays Green Bay and Minnesota in its first two games after the break, but doesn’t face Chicago until Thanksgiving Day.

Next steps

Put together a game plan that will take advantage of quarterback Jacoby Brissett’s limitations and a porous Cardinals defense, then use the bye week to heal up as many defensive backs as possible.

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