Thirteen weeks into the 2023 season, and the Detroit Lions still haven’t once lost back-to-back games.
They avoided doing so on Sunday by coming out on top against the New Orleans Saints, 33-28.
With the win, Detroit now sits at 9-3 and in first place in the NFC North division, with a three-game lead over both the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings.
Additionally, if the season were to end today, the Lions would open the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the NFC.
For as good as all of that sounds for Dan Campbell’s team, it is also true that Detroit hasn’t truly played a complete game since before its bye.
It soundly defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, 26-14, in its final contest before the bye week.
Since then, Aaron Glenn’s defense has failed the Lions time and time again, allowing 334 or more yards in each contest from Week 10 on.
The defense’s latest letdown came this past weekend in New Orleans.
After jumping out to a 24-7 halftime lead, the Lions, on the heels of little-to-no resistance from Glenn’s unit, were outscored, 14-3, in the third quarter.
And, the Saints’ “Swiss-Army knife,” Taysom Hill, made it a three-point game, with a 1-yard rushing score, with a little under 4:40 to play in the third quarter.
