The Detroit Lions don’t often show much about their scheme in the preseason, but in the dress rehearsal that is Game 3 against the Buffalo Bills, we got a few scheme concepts that will closely resemble a regular season game.
Lions defense opened in BEAR front
A lot has been made of the talent the Lions have on their defensive front and with the exception of Trey Flowers and injured Da’Shawn Hand sitting out, we finally got our first look at some key players.
The Bills are a successful running team and when the Lions face opponents with similar offensive rushing success, the BEAR front is something they typically rely on.
Here’s an example of how the Lions opened the game:
The Lions BEAR front uses players from a 34 defensive personnel set in a 52 look. The nose tackle (Damon Harrison) lines up over the center, and is flanked by two 3-techniques (Mike Daniels and A’Shawn Robinson). The outside linebackers — JACK (Devon Kennard) and SAM (Christian Jones) — line up on the line of scrimmage at the 7-technique, giving the Lions five players along the line of scrimmage. The two off-the-ball linebackers are responsible for the two gaps in front of them — between the nose and 3T, and the 3T and linebacker.
With Jarrad Davis injured, Jalen Reeves-Maybin can step into his role, while Flowers and Hand can operate at either 3-technique spot when they return to full health.
Defending the Bills first drive
Here’s a look at the down and distance for the Bills offense on their opening drive and the formations the Lions used to counter.
1st and 10: Lions open in BEAR front discussed above, with two corners and two safeties — the goal is to stop the run and they hold them to 2 yards on the ground.
2nd and 8: Lions switch to a 5-1-5, removing a linebacker in favor of a slot corner — this says we’re expecting run but playing it safe as the Bills have three wide receivers on the field.
2nd and 18 (after holding penalty): Now the Lions expect a pass and shift to a 4-2-5. The Lions put their base 3-3-5 personnel on the field but Kennard lined up with his hand in the dirt, making it technically four down defensive linemen.
3rd and 8: Lions are now fully expecting a pass and line up in a 3-2-6, deploying three corners and three safeties. It’s worth noting that the third safety on the field was Will Harris, even though Tavon Wilson was healthy, which is a sign the rookie may have already passed the veteran.
It’s only four plays but this opening drive illustrates how the Lions defense is constantly adjusting to the offensive personnel, as well as the situation (down and distance).
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On the second Bills drive they faced a 3rd and 5 from their own 12-yard line. The Lions anticipated the pass once again, this time deploying their NASCAR defense — a 1-4-6 formation.
EDGE rusher Romeo Okwara lined up at nose tackle over the center with four linebackers flanking him, Kennard and Jones to his left, and Reeves-Maybin and Tavai to his right. This arrangement of personnel is designed to threaten the offensive line with athleticism.
Like on the previous third down, the Lions used three corners and three safeties. Corners Darius Slay, Rashaan Melvin, and Justin Coleman, along with safety Harris were in man coverage, while the remaining safeties were in a Cover 1-robber concept — Quandre Diggs dropping into a zone at the linebacker level and Tracy Walker dropping into deep center field.
The speed up front forces a quick throw from Bills quarterback Josh Allen — he threw it before his receiver got out of his break — and the pass was short and behind its intended target.
Layering routes
One successful route combination for offensive coordinator Darrel Bevell in this game was the layering routes at different depths.
At the start of the Lions second drive, they came out in 12 personnel, with C.J. Anderson in the backfield, wide receivers Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay split out wide to either side, and tight ends Jesse James and T.J. Hockenson set up inline, outside the right and left tackle respectively.
Matthew Stafford runs play action right and rolls back to the left. The offensive line blocks to their right and Hockenson blocks with them, peeling off and rolling back left along the line of scrimmage after the play-action fake.
With the blocking action moving towards James side, he gets out in front of the line and squares up a linebacker at the second level. Expecting the block, the linebacker goes flat-footed, but James fakes the block and instead runs across the defense to the left 7-yards down the field.
By the time Stafford executes the play-action, both Hockenson and James are running in front of him. The defense — who were looking in the backfield expecting run — see Hockenson first and flow to him, allowing James’ to sneak in behind them for the 13-yard catch and first down.
Welcome back wheel route
There wasn’t anything fancy about this play, but it’s also not something we haven’t seen the Lions’ offense do in the last few seasons.
On a fourth-down, the Lions lined up in a standard 11 personnel and executed a “mesh-sit wheel route” — the receivers cross the middle of the field, also called the mesh point, and sit in the seams, while the back runs a wheel route out and up the sideline — with running back Ty Johnson matching up with a linebacker at the bottom of the screen.
Stafford dropped in a dime and the rookie hauled in the touchdown catch, which you can see below:
Wheel routes are incredibly difficult to defend but they were rarely seen in Jim Bob Cooter’s offensive scheme despite their simplicity.
While Bevell didn’t open up the playbook more than a crack tonight, the fact that he is willing to run basic plays that are historically successful — like the two mentioned above — speaks to his ability to properly call a game.
