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NFC North power rankings: 2018 pass rushers

By Brian Sampson

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 04: Inside linebacker Clay Matthews #52 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after sacking quarterback Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 4, 2015 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 04: Inside linebacker Clay Matthews #52 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after sacking quarterback Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 4, 2015 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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SEATTLE, WA – JANUARY 07: Ezekiel Ansah #94 of the Detroit Lions reacts during the first half against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card game at CenturyLink Field on January 7, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – JANUARY 07: Ezekiel Ansah #94 of the Detroit Lions reacts during the first half against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card game at CenturyLink Field on January 7, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /

4. Detroit Lions

The Lions ranked 20th in the NFL last season by racking up 35 sacks and will certainly hope to improve on that putrid number in 2018. They were led by defensive end Ezekiel Ansah with 12 sacks and Anthony Zettel with 6.5. After them, nobody had more than three on the whole season.

Unfortunately, they didn’t acquire much help in this department during the offseason. They are mostly hoping to rely on internal improvement and younger players to step up.

They did, however, bring on new head coach Matt Patricia. Patricia was the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots and is considered one of the smarter minds in the NFL. Patricia relies on multiple fronts and keeping offenses off guard in order to generate pressure. He’s likely to come up with some creative ways to generate pressure and keep quarterbacks uncomfortable.

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