The Detroit Lions have been red hot to start the season, powered by an improved offensive attack led by Jared Goff. However, the defense has left a lot to be desired. The Lions are 21st in pass defense and 14th in rushing defense. Even worse, they're 30th in points allowed per game as they've given up 30.3 points per game in the past month. These stats are not conducive for a Super Bowl contender who is preparing for a long grind of playoff football.

The Lions have been able to win 3 of their past four games but all the victories have been narrow. Although they beat the Saints on Sunday, New Orleans mounted a comeback in the second half that could've proven costly. In a feature article about the team written by Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com, second-year defensive end and former Michigan star Aidan Hutchinson spoke about what the defense needs to do to step up their level of play.

“Just executing and being all on the same page. It's the inconsistency,” Hutchinson said. “Sometimes it feels like we're three-and-out and just playing at such a high level and sometimes those drives are just 15-play, touchdowns that we let up, and right now it feels like it's one or the other so we've just gotta be overall more consistent.”

The Lions have the opportunity to improve their defensive scheme and philosophy as they play a struggling Bears team that features a Bears offense led by Justin Fields who faces an uncertain future with the 2024 NFL Draft looming with heavily touted quarterback prospects.

They also play the Vikings twice, who have struggled offensively with injuries to Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson. Although Jefferson is gearing up to come back, will he be 100% and ready to adjust to a new quarterback in backup Joshua Dobbs?

Their upcoming matchups definitely give the Lions time to step up their defensive intensity.