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Austin Bryant excited on the pitch for the Lions against the Eagles in 2022.
The Detroit Lions fell short of a win in Week 1 of the 2022 season, and a big reason many saw that was the team’s defense.
The Lions allowed 38 points on the day of the loss and couldn’t leave the field or stop when they needed to in critical time. This helped fuel some frustration with the team.
Defensive end Austin Bryant, however, takes a different approach. Despite the team giving up plenty of yards and four touchdowns that day, there were a few building blocks.
Bryant admitted speaking to the media on Monday August 12 that moral victories are hard to come by, but insisted his team hadn’t been beaten at the point of attack and came close to having a run at the end, facts that are close to his heart.
“It’s a big boys league. There are no moral wins, but it was a three-point loss to a really good team with a quarterback who can hurt you with his arm and his feet. Probably not as good as we would like on defense, but I thought when we had the chance to make a run we made a few plays,” Bryant said. “I didn’t quite make it on that last ride with the fourth stop, but it was encouraging to see in that moment that we kind of forgot everything that happened along the way. game and that we were able to get some type of momentum on defense and try to make a comeback. As we all know, didn’t manage to succeed, but that’s encouraging for the future. Long season and I can’t wait to see what we can do not just next week but the rest of those 16, 17 games.
Bryant admitted that the Lions need to correct some mental errors that could make the difference for the team that the team needs to remember.
“I just don’t think we were on the same page at all levels of the racing game. I don’t think they were more physical than us in the running game, although the stats can show that,” he said. “If you watch the tape, we are not pushed back. We’re building the wall, it’s just a tweak here, a tweak there but it all works together. It’s a whole system from the front to the secondary linebackers. We all work together so it’s not just the defensive line that stops the run, it’s not just the linebackers It’s all of us in agreement every time because people have to be in the right shape every time for you to have a good racing stopping type of game. I think it was just a bit of an imbalance between each level and that’s what gave them the upper hand in the racing game. I don’t think we were physically at all.
Clearly, Bryant thinks the Lions are in good shape on defense if they can clean up some damage. It is the internal trust in the group.
Bryant remains confident in Lions defense
Although the Lions struggled and gave up 455 yards, including 216 on the ground, it didn’t diminish Bryant’s confidence in his group.
As he explained, confidence is natural for the team given what they’ve done in camp, so the loss isn’t going to change things in terms of the mindset for Bryant at this point or his group.
“I mean I’m still confident. I think all of our guys are still confident. This is a game. It’s a 17-game season. The Super Bowl isn’t decided tomorrow or week one, I mean, we’ve got 16, 17 games to build and show who we are so that’s where I’m hanging my confidence on because I’ve given the work we have done during this off-season. I saw the team we were on at camp and I won’t let a game, a week define who the Detroit Lions will be. It’s not in my DNA, and it’s not in their DNA, so I’m very encouraged.
Bryant is right and the season is long and difficult. The Lions still have a chance to turn things around, so it will be interesting to see if they can learn the lessons and overcome the hurdle this time.
Bryant career stats and highlights
Good to see Bryant speaking like a leader for the Lions defense at this point. Picked up in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, the Clemson passing thrower was touted as a possible hidden gem thanks to his college production.
Once in Detroit, Bryant was soon re-injured with a pectoral condition nearly identical to the one he suffered in school. The first few years he barely saw the field, but was gifted in college. With the Tigers, Bryant was active with 130 tackles, 21 sacks, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles and 37 tackles for loss.
Bryant had just 25 total tackles during his NFL stint last season. In 2021, he managed to top that with 31 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Health has played a role in its resurgence. Bryant had a tackle to start the 2022 season.
This year, a healthy Bryant just might help make the difference for Detroit’s defense. Even though it’s been a shaky start to the year, it’s clear that Bryant still believes the team’s defense is stepping up and turning things around.
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