Most teams treat the bye as a breather. Dan Campbell turned it into homework. After the Detroit Lions rolled past the Arizona Cardinals 45-21 on Sunday, Campbell told his staff he wanted a full self-scout by Tuesday night: who the Lions are, what they can hang their hat on, who their best players are in critical moments and which players are killing them in those same moments.
“I think we’re five in now and we’ve continued to evolve a little bit and we’re mixing some things up,” Campbell said Monday. “But, at this point now, we need to figure out what we really are and what we do well.”
Where the tape points first
The answer to the first half of that question showed up in Arizona. Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns, the Lions ran the ball and stopped the run, and the defense piled up five sacks. Campbell called it the best defensive performance Detroit has had in 2026 and kept the starters on the field late so they could build on it.
The second half is harder. The Lions are allowing 297.4 net passing yards per game, the most in the NFL, and opponents have thrown 14 touchdown passes with a 106.3 passer rating. The defense gave up 32 or more points in both losses, 41-31 in Buffalo and 32-26 in Carolina. Even Sunday, nickel corner Roger McCreary was targeted 18 times and allowed nine catches, according to PFF. The staff already moved rookie Keith Abney II to safety for his first NFL start there, and Campbell liked what he saw while admitting there was “meat on the bone” left for the rookie.
The roster will look different when the Green Bay Packers come to Ford Field on Oct. 25. Brian Branch and center Cade Mays are expected back after both returned to practice before the bye, while linebacker Devin White (broken forearm) and returner Tom Kennedy (season-ending knee surgery) are out. Those returns give the staff real options when the self-scout lands on names. In Allen Park, the honest version of Campbell’s question is about the secondary, and the next two weeks will show whether the answers are already in the building or need to come from the trade market for defensive backs before Nov. 10.
Latest news on the Detroit Lions
- Lions Can’t Waste Jared Goff’s Mistake-Free Start
- Jared Goff is Playing at an Elite Level When the Lions Need Him Most
- Lions Moved on From David Montgomery at the Perfect Time as Texans RB Lands on Hot Seat
- Will the Lions Add a Receiver During the Bye? What Tom Kennedy’s Season-Ending Injury Changes
