Looking for an area where the Detroit Lions have shown concrete improvement on offense under new coordinator Darrell Bevell? Check out the uptick in how well the Lions offense is avoiding 3-and-outs.
Per NFL Matchup on ESPN, the Lions are the fifth-best offense at sustaining drives beyond three plays. Detroit’s 20.8 percent rate of going 3-and-out is one of the best success rates in the league.
It’s a big improvement over last season under Jim Bob Cooter. Those Lions ranked 10th, believe it or not, but their 28.7% rate was a lot worse than the current 1-in-5 drives that produce 3-and-outs. They were 17th in 2017 at 34.7 percent.
Sustaining drives beyond quick 3-and-outs is a key to keeping the defense fresh, controlling the pace of the game, and stressing the opposing defense. Those are all central tenets to Matt Patricia’s coaching philosophy.
