Jack Campbell wants the Detroit Lions to be considered “the best defense in the NFL” this season, and three games into the year, they’re at least in the discussion.
Campbell, the second-year linebacker who could see his role increase with Derrick Barnes out with a knee injurysaid he evaluates defenses based on a few statistical categories.
“For me, I think I want to be No. 1 in everything,” Campbell said. “It’s tough to be No. 1 in everything, but you look at third down, you look at the red zone, I would say you look at rushing yards per attempt, then passing yards per attempt, then yards per play. I feel like it’s obviously tough to be No. 1 in all of those areas, but I feel like if you want to get to where you want to go, you kind of have to set those standards for yourself.”
The Lions rank third in the NFL in third-down percentage (25.8%), fourth in rushing yards allowed per attempt (3.59) and in the top 15 in red zone defense and passing and total yards per play.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Chargers are the only other teams to rank in the top 15 in all five categories.
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Campbell praised the Lions’ run defense so far this year: “Going back to last year, you know what to expect from us. We’re going to play downhill and not let you run the ball,” he said — and added that the team needs to be better at defensively being efficient in the red zone.
Last week victory against the Arizona CardinalsThe Lions allowed a touchdown on their only defensive possession in the red zone, but held the Cardinals to 1 of 9 on third downs.
“I feel like this last week as a group was probably one of the best games I’ve been a part of since I’ve been here, from the defensive line to the linebackers to the secondary, everybody was on the same page and everybody did their job and played and made plays,” Campbell said. “And I feel like that’s what we kind of have to carry over, but now it’s just those little details that we have to improve.”
DJ and JJ Watt
DJ Reader has played just under half of the Lions’ defensive snaps (48%) since returning in Week 2. from a quadriceps tendon injuryslightly below the 60% mark he hovered around during his time with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The reader said he felt “good” health-wise, but acknowledged he was still preparing for a full workload.
“I feel like we’re getting there,” he said. “When I first got on the field, I mean maybe just for me, maybe not for everybody, but I felt like a little baby giraffe out there. I actually called JJ (Watt) after the game and talked to him about it, just texted him about it. … He was like, ‘It’s just part of the game, you feel better.’ But there are games where I feel amazing, so I’m starting to feel really, really good.”
Reader, who said he was less sore after playing 25 snaps Sunday against the Cardinals than he was during the same amount of action the previous week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, remains close to Watt, his former teammate with the Houston Texans and current analyst for CBS.
“My locker was right next to his (in Houston),” Reader said. “Coming into the league, it was kind of crazy, you go in there and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, this guy’s a three-time defensive player of the year. That’s JJ Watt.’ I come out of college at 21 and my locker was right next to his. So he was a big influence on my life.”
Dave Birkett is the author of the new book, “Detroit Lions:An illustrated timeline.” Pre-order it now from Reedy Press.
Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article was originally published on the Detroit Free Press: Jack Campbell wants Detroit Lions to have ‘best defense in NFL’
