Teams are paying extra attention to Lions star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who has 1.5 sacks over Detroit’s last four contests, and while defensive lineman Alim McNeill has given the pass rush a boost since returning from a knee injury, Detroit needs more from their pass rush collectively down the stretch.
“He knows, just like we know, people are going to plan for him,” Sheppard said of Hutchinson. “That’s why he is one of the best and he has to combat that. But it isn’t a one-man show. Other people have to win. I’m not just talking about Hutch, I’m not just talking about (McNeill) Mac. I thought Mac was a very impactful rusher in the middle all Thanksgiving Day. But it just can’t be those two guys. When your name is called, if you draw a one-on-one, you have to win in this league if you want to be around. And it’s just simple as that.”
Sheppard is looking for playmakers on defense to step up for this stretch run.
“It’s a lot of too close, almost happening still in November going into now December where that absolutely won’t be tolerated. Being close isn’t good enough,” he said.
“You have to make that play – and that’s coverage and rush, they marry each other. There’s no dominant defensive secondary in this league without a good pass rush, there’s no good pass rush without some type of coverage happening on the back end. So, the guys understand that, and we have to find a way to mesh and gel those at the highest level this week against one of the top – if not the top – offense in the NFL right now.”
