To say the Detroit Lions’ defense was ravaged by injuries this past season is probably an underestimation of the word ravaged. It’s one thing to have to deploy backups in prominent roles, but the Lions were left to poach players off other team’s practice squads for a stretch late in the season just be able to field a full lineup of available players.

Ultimately, the injuries were too much to overcome and the Lions had a disappointing one-and-done playoff exit.

Yet, as would become the No. 1 bullet point on Aaron Glenn’s head coaching resume before the New York Jets hired him, the Lions finished seventh in scoring defense (20.1 points per game) and fifth in run defense (98.4 yards allowed per game) while allowing the lowest passer rating in the league (82.0).

Lions’ defense excelled last season in a particularly key area

Mistakes (blown coverages, missed tackles, etc.) will happen for a defense. But the best units around minimize the frequency and impact of those mistakes.

Using Next Gen Stats, NFL.com recently issued tackling grades for all 32 teams for the 2024 season. The Lions came in fifth on the list, with an 88.8 mark and a corresponding B+ grade that mirrors what would be doled out to a kid in school if it were a percentile. They also had the highest tackling grade among NFC teams.

“The Lions fought through a slew of injuries and did an excellent job playing as a unit defensively; just two players missed more than nine tackles, and nobody allowing more than 75 yards off their missed tackles. Star safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch led the way. Joseph missed just four of 86 tackle attempts on the season, and Branch was one of the most effective players in the league at quickly getting ball-carriers on the ground. With more development from their young defensive core — and greater health — next season, the Lions might be able to stay strong despite losing several members of the coaching staff, including coordinator Aaron Glenn.”

Joseph and Branch were both top-five graded safeties by Pro Football Focus this season, with the best run defense grade at the position (90.8) as evidence of Branch’s proficiency as a tackler beyond the fact he was second on the team in tackles with 109. Pro Football Reference credited the Lions’ leading tackler, linebacker Jack Campbell, with just a 5.1 percent missed tackle rate.

Success defensively is often measured in plays you make and yards you don’t give up when it counts the most. As an easy correlation to being such a proficient tackling unit this past season, and despite all the injuries, the Lions were the league’s No. 1 third-down defense and they were the seventh-best red zone defense.