Lions’ Isaiah Buggs Issues Strong Warning to Rest of the NFL: ‘What It’s All About’

Before facing the Denver Broncos, the Detroit Lions had been grappling with defensive struggles in the NFL. Their defense had been conceding a minimum of 26 points and 330 yards in each of the past five games.

However, the Lions’ defensive capability wasn’t in question. In Week 15 against the Broncos, a significant shift occurred as they limited Denver to just 17 points and 287 yards.

 

 

Isaiah Buggs, Lions’ defensive tackle, attributed this improvement to the team’s collective effort and expressed optimism about the team’s potential if this unity persists.

Buggs conveyed to reporters on December 16, as reported by SI.com’s All Lions’ Christian Booker, “That’s what it’s all about, man. Once we click and gel like that, we’re unstoppable. That’s what we’ve been practicing on all week, really since Week 1. Just gelling together and making the plays when it comes to us, being in the right spot, technique, fundamentally sound, and we made that happen tonight.”

Apart from the remarkable statistics, the Lions also restricted the Broncos to a mere 83 rushing yards. This performance marked the lowest yards, points, and rushing yards conceded by Detroit in a game since Week 8.

Isaiah Buggs, Lions Defense Hitting Its Stride for the Home Stretch?

The Lions’ ability to limit the Broncos to just 83 rushing yards stood out as one of the most impressive feats of their defense in Week 15. Notably, Denver had surpassed 105 rushing yards in eight of its last nine games before facing Detroit.

Despite the absence of defensive tackle Alim McNeill, the Lions managed to keep Denver below that mark. Isaiah Buggs stepped in as part of the interior defensive linemen, effectively filling in for McNeill during Week 15.

As per the Pro Football Focus player grades, Buggs delivered one of his finest performances of the season against the Broncos, earning a 69.8 grade (out of 100). This performance ranked second-best among Detroit defensive tackles in the game, trailing only Levi Onwuzurike.

Buggs, who had been inactive at times throughout the season, registered 2 combined tackles and recovered a fumble in 23 defensive snaps. Notably, he returned the fumble for a 33-yard gain.

Recalling the moment, Buggs shared with the media on December 16, through Booher, “The first thing I said, ‘Oh s**t, it’s a fumble. I’ve gotta get it.’ So, when I got it, man, I just seen green grass, and I took it and ran with it. I was trying to score, I couldn’t score. It was just a blessing, man, overall feeling, man. And being able to give my mom that ball, right there, that means a lot. That means a lot, man.”

Looking ahead, Buggs and the Lions’ run defense face challenges in the final three regular-season games. Similar to Denver, both the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys have frequently surpassed 100 rushing yards in their recent matchups. Additionally, both teams are ranked within the top 11 in total yards, posing further challenges for the Lions’ defense.

Lions Face Inconsistent Vikings Offense in Week 16

The Minnesota Vikings have shown significant improvement in their rushing offense during the latter part of the season, averaging 132.3 rushing yards per game since Week 9. However, their quarterback situation has been marked by inconsistency.

Joshua Dobbs initially made a strong impact in the NFL for several weeks, but following a couple of poor performances, the Vikings decided to bench him in favor of Nick Mullens.

Mullens brought a more aerial approach to the Vikings’ offense in Week 15. Despite averaging 9.2 yards per attempt against the Cincinnati Bengals, he faced challenges, throwing 2 interceptions and getting sacked 3 times.

A win against the Vikings would secure the Detroit Lions their first division title since 1993. Moreover, the Lions could secure a playoff berth even before their game begins if the Los Angeles Rams lose or tie in their Thursday Night Football matchup.

Additionally, Detroit can confirm their playoff spot officially with either a defeat or tie from the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16.