Dan Campbell Sounds Off on Lions' Defensive Struggles, 'Not Going to Accept Mediocrity'

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is searching for answers to a struggling defense that has allowed more than 400 yards in three of their first four games, including in Sunday's 32-26 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Appearing on 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday, Campbell explicitly said he is "not going to accept mediocrity" when discussing the defensive issues in Detroit.

"We're going to give some other guys an opportunity, and go, man. But we're not going to accept mediocrity. That's not what we're doing here," Campbell said. "We've got too many guys playing at a high level, and we're going to raise the floor on this team."

Mediocrity is a level the Lions defense would aspire to right now because it has been a huge dilemma holding them back. It's hard to find any metric suggesting they are not among the worst, if not the worst, defense in the NFL.

The Lions' 423.8 yards allowed per game is 31.5 more than the Indianapolis Colts at No. 31 (392.3). They are the only team giving up more than 300 passing yards per contest (304.0).

Per Sumer Sports , the Lions are the only defense that has given up more than 40 total EPA (43.67). They are 28th in success rate.

Detroit's best defensive game thus far was in Week 3 against the New York Jets when it "only" allowed 24 points and 335 yards.

There are some faint signs of hope if you really look. For instance, per ESPN.com , the Lions rank fourth in pass-rush win rate. They rank second in the league with 15 sacks.

Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeil have been fantastic up front, but the Lions are so weak in the secondary that when those two aren't getting home, they don't get stops.

If the Lions can't improve the back end of their defense, either through internal improvements or bringing in outside help, they will probably continue to be the .500 team they have been since the start of last season.

Detroit travels to Arizona this week for a matchup with the Cardinals. A win would get the Lions to 3-2 going into their Week 6 bye, when the coaching staff and front office will have time to do a soft reset for the remainder of the season.