Led by All-Pro cornerback Darius Slay, the Detroit Lions' secondary was much more of a playmaking bunch a year ago than we’ve seen in previous seasons. Detroit’s defensive backfield intercepted 16 passes, forced nine fumbles and scored four defensive touchdowns.
Sure, the Lions ranked 27th against the pass in 2017, allowing an average 243.2 passing yards per game, but opposing passers had just an 84.1 passer rating against the Lions, which ranked Detroit in the top half of the league in that category. Detroit’s 21 passing touchdowns allowed a year ago ranked in the top 10 for fewest in the NFL.