The Detroit Lions’ pass defense has been shaky all season, and now it goes into Sunday’s game against the Raiders with a depleted secondary.
Two of the Lions’ top three cornerbacks have been lost to injury in recent weeks, forcing the team to “dig deeper into its shallow talent pool,” according to one Lions beat reporter.
What does it all mean? Probably very good news for the Raiders, who go into Sunday’s game in Michigan (10 a.m. kickoff) hoping to break a two-game losing streak.
The 4-5 Raiders can get back into the race for a postseason slot in the AFC with a victory over the 2-7 Lions, and it appears Oakland has just what it needs: a potent passing offense.
Quarterback Derek Carr and his receivers have been clicking in recent weeks. Carr comes into Sunday’s game averaging 306 yards over his past four games with 13 touchdown passes against just three interceptions. And his receiving corps of rookie Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree and rookie tight end Clive Walford is becoming a force to be reckoned with by opposing secondaries – and may be too much for a Lions pass defense that ranks 23rd in the NFL.
Oddsmakers have made the Raiders one-point favorites.
One of the key matchups to watch will be Cooper vs. Lions cornerback Darius Slay. Though the Lions secondary as a whole is depleted, Slay has developed into one of the NFL’s top corners and generally is matched against an opponent’s No. 1 pass catcher. That could mean dueling with Cooper for most of Sunday’s game.
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According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Slay is ranked as the NFL’s 10th-best pass defender by the analytics website Pro Football Focus and did an outstanding job last week against top Packers receiver Randall Cobb in the Lions upset of Green Bay.
If Slay takes Cooper, that means Carr may be able to target wide receivers such as Crabtree, Andre Holmes and Seth Roberts. Walford, who's come on in recent weeks, could also be a factor, especially in the red zone.
To Lions coach Jim Caldwell, stopping the Raiders offense – the eighth-ranked unit in the league – will be a challenge.
“Carr is having an unbelievable year,” said Caldwell. “But they can run the ball, too. They’ve got a big and physical offensive line. So yeah, it’s … going to take the entire unit to play well against this group because they can score points on you a number of different ways.”
