Detroit Lions mailbag: Is the offensive line regressing?

The bar has been set high for the Detroit Lions offensive line. Often referred to by coaches as the engine under the hood that makes the offense work, the Lions offensive line has been considered best in the league for the last year or two.

But over the last month, they haven't quite looked like it. Jared Goff was sacked four times against both the Vikings and Titans, and pressure played a part in Detroit's five turnovers against the Texans . We've seen very uncharacteristic lapses in pass protection from both Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell. And even the run game has seen some struggles in recent weeks.

So... is there a problem here?

Statistically, it depends on where you're looking. In terms of pass protection, there are certainly some oddly-concerning metrics. They're 16th in pressure rate allowed (35.3%) and 19th in sack rate (7.1%) per NFL Pro. Those are hardly top-tier numbers. But, surprisingly, the advanced metrics are not that different from last year. The Lions rank ninth in ESPN's pass block win rate (64%), and just 15th in team PFF pass block grade (69.2)—but they ranked 10th (63%) and 12th (69.4) in those metrics last year. It's nearly identical.

Also, it's important to consider strength of opponent. The Texans, Rams, Cowboys, Seahawks , and Vikings all rank in the top eight in pressure percentage. That's more than half of Detroit's opponents thus far.

And while the pass protection numbers have been modest, the Lions run game remains electric. They're still the best rushing attack by DVOA, they rank second in PFF pass blocking grade, have the sixth-best run block win rate, and lead the pack by a considerable margin in adjusted line yards.

We discussed this topic further in this week Midweek Mailbag podcast. Here's a full list of topics we talked about with corresponding timestamps: