Josh Paschal made his NFL debut in Week 7. The Lions rookie defensive lineman finally got onto the field after missing the first five games recovering from core muscle surgery.
Better late than never!
Paschal had an impressive debut, recording two solo tackles and appearing to hold up well in run defense. That made No. 93 from Kentucky a prime subject for this week’s film review spotlight player.
Jeff Okudah: Breaking down the Lions CB’s Week 1 performance vs. the Eagles
Malcolm Rodriguez: Breaking down the Lions rookie LB in Week 2
Film review: Breaking down Aidan Hutchinson’s performance vs. the Seahawks in Week 4
Film review: Breaking down Penei Sewell’s Week 5 game vs. the Patriots
As with the previous weeks, the method here is pretty simple. I watch each play from both the broadcast angle and the coach’s tape, focusing on Paschal. Plays where he wins his individual matchup or performs the role on the play correctly earn a plus; plays where he loses his matchup or does the wrong thing get a minus. Not every play earns a mark.
Opening drive
Paschal earned a plus on his very first play. Lined up at RDE heads-up on the left tackle. Paschal successfully drove the tackle backward and created an opening for DT Isaiah Buggs to generate a quick pressure on Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. Alas, Prescott escaped to the outside because OLB Julian Okwara wildly overcommitted to the inside (with no action driving him there) and gave up containment. If Okwara stays home, he or Buggs has an easy sack because (in no small part) of Paschal doing his job so well.
The first drive was a great opening salvo from Paschal, showcasing his positional versatility. After lining up as a 4-tech RDE on first down, Paschal slid inside to 3-tech RDT on second down and then flopped over to 7-tech LDE on third down. He earned plusses on the first two plays and a stalemate on the third, an Aidan Hutchinson sack as a 7-tech on the right side.
Halftime
Paschal had one heck of a first half. He earned 11 plusses to just three minuses. Eight of the 11 wins came as a pass rusher, and Paschal accrued those equally from each side of the formation. One minus came on a screen pass where he got fooled. He had just one pass rush minus, a rep at LDE where he got pushed way outside. Two of his plusses came on plays where his dirty work up front directly led to plays being made by those behind him (Jeff Okudah on a run stuff and DeShon Elliott on a nice run tackle in the hole).
Second half
Paschal wasn’t as impactful after the big first half, which is understandable due to his not having a full practice all offseason until last Wednesday. He played like he was fatigued; it was visible in his demeanor between snaps.
On the first drive, he split with one plus (a nice QB pressure on the play where Jerry Jacobs was flagged for pass interference) and one minus (pushed out of the hole on a run). For the half, Paschal earned five plusses and five minuses. No. 93 earned a lot of stalemates as a pass rusher, with two clear wins and two clear losses. One of those minuses came on a play wiped out by penalty (Anzalone was offsides), but it still counts here.
Overall
Paschal picked up 16 plusses and eight minuses in his debut game. That’s a fine start for a player who not only missed the last three months after core muscle surgery but also missed the end of his college season with a different injury. His addition to the Lions lineup was a notable upgrade over veterans Michael Brockers and Charles Harris, whose roles he primarily replaced in the lineup. The 56 total snaps were probably about 10 too many, but there’s no question that Paschal displayed a lot of promise and effectiveness in his first NFL game.
