The Detroit Lions have had brutal luck with its pass rush as of late. Marcus Davenport went down with an injury during the team’s Week 3 clash with the Arizona Cardinals. And the Lions lost Aidan Hutchinson in their dominating win over the Dallas Cowboys more recently. Ahead of their Week 8 game with the Tennessee Titans, another defender is out as Josh Paschal will miss Sunday’s game.
Thankfully, Paschal is not dealing with a physical injury. The Lions ruled him out on Friday due to an undisclosed injury. However, it’s still a huge blow to a Detroit team struggling with their pass rush. Paschal acknowledged it was tough for him to miss this game as the team has gained a ton of momentum.
“It’s definitely tough just because you’ve been playing so well and you want to keep the momentum going but at the same time life’s going to throw you some curveballs and man, I’m just thankful that I got my faith to rely on but I also am able to just keep going,” the Lions defender said, via the Detroit Free Press. “You’re going to get trials and tribulations but at the end of the day it’s how you respond. and so I just want to stay steadfast, keep my head down and keep working.”
Lions’ pass rush takes another hit before Titans game
Josh Paschal’s illness further thins out an already shallow group of edge rushers in Detroit. The Lions will rely on three edge rushers primarily against the Titans on Sunday. James Houston, the recently-signed Isaiah Thomas, and Al-Quadin Muhammad are going to receive extended looks this week.
Houston has shown he can be a dynamic pass rusher in the past. In fact, he finished his rookie season with eight sacks in seven games back in 2022. However, head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn have prior experience with Muhammad. Muhammad crossed paths with them while they all spent time with the New Orleans Saints.
“You don’t have to worry about that guy playing the game with some nastiness and aggressiveness, strength,” Campbell said, via the Detroit Free Press. “He’s going to set an edge and he’s going to play hard. He’s competitive, he’s a finisher. And he’s got a little bit of rush ability.”
The Lions need to get after the quarterback more as the season goes along. Detroit has their work cut out for them, though, in Week 8. It will certainly be interesting to see how the team’s pass rush performs against the Titans on Sunday.
