ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions, after four seasons with Aaron Glenn as their defensive coordinator, developed a reputation of being a man-heavy defense, a schematic decision that often asked its cornerbacks to fend for themselves on the outside.
Much of that remained true in 2025, when Kelvin Sheppard replaced Glenn. But through three games in 2026, the Lions have shifted more toward zone coverage. Last season, they ranked third in man rate (31.8%) and 29th in zone rate (63.1%), according to TruMedia. This season, they’re 19th in man rate (15.7%) and 14th in zone rate (14th).
Specifically, the defense is playing much more Cover 3, with three defensive backs splitting the deep part of the field into thirds. That rate has ballooned from 30.8% in 2025 (28th) to 47.7% in 2026 (fourth).
Why the change? There’s multiple explanations. Primarily, Sheppard has been determined to limit the amount of explosive passes allowed by his defense. Only three teams in 2025 — the Baltimore Ravens (64), Chicago Bears (61) and Cincinnati Bengals (60) — surrendered more passes of 20-plus yards than the Lions (58).
“What’s best for us? I know what I might want to do. But what’s best for us?” Sheppard said Thursday, Oct. 1, when asked about the increase in zone coverage. “And then how does that blend with the way we want to play, the style of defense that we want to put on tape? When you looked at that this season, the thing was the explosives.”
The results in 2026 haven’t brought Sheppard’s vision to life, at least not yet. The Lions have allowed 16 passes of 20 or more yards, most in the league. But Sheppard was encouraged by his unit’s performance against the New York Jets in Week 3; they allowed seven explosive plays (six passes), down from their average of 11.5 versus the New Orleans Saints (Week 1) and Buffalo Bills (Week 2).
Still not good enough for Sheppard, but a step in the right direction.
“What’s important to us coming out of (our) self-scout is trying to dim down some of these explosive plays, primarily in the pass game,” Sheppard said. “We feel like having a more shell-feel to our defense will kind of talk the quarterbacks into more underneath passing games where we can rally and hit, versus the ball is just chunking 40 yards down the field.”
The ability to generate turnovers also played into Sheppard’s decision. The Lions have two interceptions through three weeks, both coming against the Saints (courtesy of safety Chuck Clark and linebacker Derrick Barnes). Lions coach Dan Campbell said there were two opportunities to create a turnover versus the Bills, but the team couldn’t capitalize either time.
“It’s hard for a cover player … to have interceptions (and) plays on the football in man coverage, with your back turned, kind of in phase, running, chasing all the time, versus seeing it, being able to break and drive on throws and things like that,” Sheppard said. “So, absolutely, it has a lot to do with trying to bring the ball back as a defense.”
The shift toward zone makes sense on paper, but the Lions still need to see the results in games. Ahead of their road matchup with the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Oct. 4, the defense ranks 31st in yards (416.7) and 32nd in points (31.7). They’re also 29th in EPA allowed per play (+0.12), according to Next Gen Stats.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Why Lions are playing more zone coverage than usual to start 2026