The Detroit Lions didn't get the stops they needed in Week 2 amid an upset loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but all of that changed in a big way in Week 3.
Instead of depending on their offense to make all the plays, the Lions finally saw their much-maligned defense step up in a 20-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals. After blasting out to a fast start, Detroit depended on some timely second half plays in order to thwart the Cardinals and salt away their second win.
Leading that effort was safety Kerby Joseph, who was all over the field. The biggest play Joseph made came just out of the locker room in the third quarter. With the Cardinals driving, he did a nice job to soar for an interception in the end zone to snuff out a potential scoring drive.
Later, Joseph made a fantastic pass breakup on a key fourth-down in the fourth quarter. In each of those scenarios, the Lions could have surrendered points that would have changed the momentum of a close game on the road. Instead of that happening, Joseph made a game altering play. That's the mark of a blossoming defensive leader at a key position on the field.
While Joseph has enjoyed big performances before, this could have been his most complete game in the NFL It caught the attention of Dan Campbell for that reason.
Dan Campbell credits Kerby Joseph for improvement and action on defense
Coming into the season, it was clear that the Lions needed Joseph needed to step up on the back end. It seems the message has been received through the first few weeks of the season, and especially after Week 3.
Campbell was impressed with the defensive effort Joseph showed, and has noticed his upward trajectory.
"I thought he was very active back there. I thought he was seeing the field. I thought he was roaming pretty good. That was a heck of a play on the interception. I don't know if quiet is the right word, (but) I think he is quietly improving here, quietly getting better. And I mean that in a good way. He's getting better."
In terms of the entire secondary, Campbell believes the best could be yet to come as experience piles up.
"I think that whole secondary, the more they're able to play together, the better they're going to get. They're going to continue to get better and better between (Brian) Branch and Kerby (Joseph) and (Carlton) Davis and Terrion (Arnold) and Amik (Robertson). All those guys just playing together. It's just going to get better. It's really gotten better every week."
Comfort is all the Lions seem to need in order to kick things into a higher gear this season. While it's been hard to find at times, Joseph is supplying enough for everyone on the defensive side of the ball. It was a welcome sight in a key win.
