An early bye week is usually not considered ideal, but for the Detroit Lions it end up working out due to some key injuries over the first few weeks of the season. Head coach Dan Campbell further said he sees the early bye week as mostly an opportunity to self-scout.
"Where are we at? What are we doing well? What are we not doing well? How do we help these guys?’ And I think that’s really got to be the emphasis right now. We can be much better. We need to be much better.”
Of course the need for improvement after the bye week includes the Lions' players. Coaches can put players in position to succeed and circumstance can provide opportunity, but when it comes down to it players have to get it done on the field.
With that in mind, these three Lions' players especially need to step up their games after the bye week.
3 Lions players who must step up their game after the bye week
3. TE Sam LaPorta
After a record-setting rookie season, LaPorta is off to a disappointing start this season (12 receptions for 147 yards and zero touchdowns). But there were positive signs in Week 4, when had four catches for 53 yards and the ankle injury he suffered in Week 3 looked to be no issue on one particular play.
Campbell mostly talked about Jahmyr Gibbs, because that's who he was asked about, but he made sure to mention LaPorta in the same positive vein.
"He's coming on," Campbell said. "I feel like he and LaPorta, both, yesterday they looked like, OK here we go, man. They got their legs back under them. They look as healthy as they've looked since the beginning of training camp, and they're on the uptick."
LaPort missed time in training camp with a hamstring injury, then he had the ankle injury during Week 3. It's fair to say the bye week came at a good time for him to get his legs all the way healthy, and part of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson's self-scout has surely included finding ways to get LaPorta more involved.
2. CB Terrion Arnold
The Lions are giving Arnold all the leeway he needs to adjust to the bullseye that's on him as a rookie cornerback, and any alternative to him being a starter is not appealing.
But penalties have undeniably been an issue, with eight in four games including five pass interference and two defensive holdings. Nearly all of them have eventually led to points for the opponent, and the 118 yards of penalty yardage surrendered is a league-high for any player regardless of position. This is where we complain about pass interference being a spot-foul.
For whatever it's worth, Pro Football Focus has not been kind to Arnold's work thus far. He is the site's 94th-ranked cornerback overall (47.6 overall grade), with below-average marks in coverage (48.8) and as a run defender (51.6). That being said, PFF also credited Arnold with shutting down Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. when he was matched up against him Week 3 (two catches allowed on six targets).
In any case, Arnold needs to curb his penalty-prone ways coming out of the the bye. Surely some work is being done to work with him on fixing the issue, and having to reign back his aggressive is definitely better than the alternative Lions' cornerbacks offered over the previous couple seasons.
1. DE Josh Paschal
In the immediate aftermath of Marcus Davenport's (likely) season-ending injury, Campbell talked up Paschal as the guy with the clearest opportunity to step up whenever an opportunity came. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn did the same.
In a bigger picture sense, this is a chance for the former top-50 overall pick to fulfill his potential in his third season.
Right on cue Paschal played a season-high 53 snaps against the Seahawks in Week 4, with two total tackles. PFF credited him with three quarterback pressures and one hit on Geno Smith, with an overall PFF grade (67.7) that was season-best. He also had a notable rep in coverage when he shut down a tight end screen.
As seen in the above clip, Paschal doesn't have to pile up stats to be impactful to the Lions' defensive front. Campbell praised his performance against Seattle, pointing to that intangible impact.
That said, it'd be nice to see Paschal making more individual plays that are noticeable in the immediate moment. He has established a solid performance baseline over the last couple weeks, and with continued health (fingers crossed) he needs to take it up another notch from here on out this season.
Beyond the implications for himself, Paschal's performance (or lack thereof) opposite Aidan Hutchinson will be an easy barometer for the extent the Lions are in the market for an edge rusher between now and the trade deadline.
