The 2022 Detroit Lions had a tale of two seasons defensively. Out of the wreckage of the disastrous start, the Lions emerged as one of the league’s best defenses down the stretch. If not for the brutal outlier in Carolina in Week 16, Detroit’s defense was a top-5 unit in yards allowed and points allowed over the final six weeks. Even with the atrocious day in Charlotte, the Lions were still an upper-echelon defense over the final two months.
The overall season statistics don’t reflect that upward spike and late-season improvement, unfortunately. Linebacker Alex Anzalone, whose dramatically improved play down the stretch helped fuel the surge, offered up a great analogy for the full-season rankings sticking near the bottom in most categories.
