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Lions defense fails to deliver on Kelvin Sheppard’s off season commitments

Frustration is mounting in Detroit after defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard saw his unit falter during a 41-31 Thursday night defeat against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2. The setback wasted an impressive outing by quarterback Jared Goff and deepened a worrying trend, as Detroit has surrendered 71 points since holding an initial 21-0 advantage over the New Orleans Saints in the previous game.

The performance has prompted severe criticism from supporters calling for a change at coordinator, contrasting sharply with the franchise's prior 15-win campaign and run to the NFC Championship Game under former coordinator Aaron Glenn.

While injuries have depleted the secondary and disrupted defensive plans, linebacker Derrick Barnes defended Sheppard following the defeat, emphasizing that the players must execute on the field regardless of which schemes are dialed up.