Aaron Glenn is a big believer in momentum, that one strong performance can lead to others. And with the Detroit Lions‘ NFL-worst defense coming off its best game of the season, Glenn is anxious to see his theory in action this week.
“That was something that our guys needed because belief starts to stick,” Glenn, the Lions’ second-year defensive coordinator, said Thursday. “And I’ve said this to you guys before, belief is a powerful drug. So that’s something that we’ve got to continue to do.”
The Lions forced three turnovers and left future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers visibly frustrated in last week’s 15-9 win over the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field.
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They made a plethora of big stops in the red zone, had more interceptions (three) than they did in the first seven games combined (two), and allowed their fewest points in a game since 2018.
A punching bag for opposing offenses most of the season, Glenn said he saw his defense strut around with renewed confidence last week.
“You can just tell by the body language. You just watch on the field and body language tells you a lot, players and coaches,” Glenn said. “That permeates throughout the defense when you have that body language, you have that swagger within yourself. You have that look in your eye when you go out there and play defense, that regardless of what happens — turnover, big play, it doesn’t matter.”
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The Lions (2-6) saw momentum bury them the other direction during their five-game losing streak, when they allowed an average of 32 points per game.
They surrendered points on five of six drives after turnovers during their skid (not including possessions that resulted in kneel-downs to end games) and wilted near the end zone after allowing big plays.
Glenn said he constantly reminds his defense that turnovers by the Lions offense mean “more TV time for us,” and players finally appeared to embrace that last week when the defense wiggled its way out of tough situations for one of the few times this season.
The Lions’ third interception came three plays after Jaire Alexander returned a Jared Goff interception to the Detroit 23-yard line, and they allowed just one touchdown on eight Green Bay drives that crossed midfield.
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“We get on the field, we get ready to play,” Glenn said. “And you saw that happen with our guys. Any situation that happened, they went out there and they played their butts off.”
While the Packers have struggled offensively this season — they have the NFL’s 27th-ranked scoring offense — Glenn’s belief in, well, belief, will be tested Sunday against a Chicago Bears team that has found its stride offensively.
The Bears (3-6) are averaging 31.3 points over their past three games, since overhauling their offense to include more designed runs by quarterback Justin Fields, and have one of the best rushing attacks in football.
Safety DeShon Elliott called last week’s win “a step in the right direction,” and linebacker Alex Anzalone said it could be a springboard to better days on defense.
“To hold Aaron Rodgers to nine points, we got to keep it up,” Elliott said. “We got to finish this season out the right way, which I think we can.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.