There were a lot of people, myself included, who believed that the Detroit Lions were ready to assume a spot atop the NFC. While they certainly can do that, a harsh reality check was provided to them by the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7.

The Lions went on the road and were crushed by their AFC counterparts, 38-6. Detroit didn’t get their first first down of the game until they were already trailing by multiple touchdowns and trailed by as many as 35 points as Baltimore ran them out of M&T Bank Stadium.

This is a game that Dan Campbell and his staff will just burn the game tape as there likely isn’t anything useful to take from it. They were beaten handily in every facet of the game as teams just don’t have it in some games.

Still 5-2 on the season, the Lions do hold a two-game lead in the NFC North division. But, they aren’t going to rest on their laurels as they know there is still plenty of work to be done. With less than a week until the trade deadline, they are looking to make some improvements.

According to Cam Marino, a national NFL analyst, the Lions are aggressively pursuing talent on the defensive side of the ball. Marino adds that they could be looking to upgrade the defensive line and secondary.

A blowout such as the one Detroit just endured will certainly lead to changes being made. The Lions had looked better on defense this season, but the game against the Ravens took them way outside of the top 10.

Pass-rushing help is certainly needed as the Lions have managed only 15 sacks this season. Aidan Hutchinson leads the way with 4.5, while Alim McNeill and Charles Harris are the only other players with more than 1.0

In the secondary, the Lions have been ravaged by injuries. They rebuilt their cornerback and safety depth chart in free agency, but two of their big signings, Emmanuel Moseley and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, both suffered long-term injuries.

It would not be surprising to see general manager Brad Holmes make more than one trade to address both needs. The Lions have benefitted from extra draft capital the last few years courtesy of the Matthew Stafford blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Rams, so surrendering some draft capital for immediate upgrades certainly won’t hurt them.

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