The Detroit Lions fell from the playoffs quicker than expected and gave up 45 points to the Washington Commanders, though seven of those came off an interception returned for a touchdown. It’s led to a lot of football fans on social media questioning this loss’s impact on Aaron Glenn’s head coaching candidacy.
The truth is this should have no bearing on his standing with teams. He’s currently believed to be the favorite to land the New York Jets or New Orleans Saints head coaching vacancies. You don’t go from being the favorite to being questioned altogether.
From a public perspective, this is a great example of how quickly people forget. Glenn was praised for Detroit’s suffocation of the Minnesota Vikings offense just two weeks prior. It’s a what have you done for me lately type of business and fans tend to have conveniently timed short-term memory. Teams won’t.
One of Glenn’s standout achievements on his resume was how well he worked with injuries. In the playoffs, being down that many players usually comes back to bite you even if you got by in the regular season. It got worse during the game as starting cornerback Amik Robertson exited the game early.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio brought up a good point. The team the Lions lost to is led by a man who gave up 48 points in his last game as defensive coordinator in the playoffs. It’s not about a one-game sample size, good or bad. It’s about Glenn’s entire body of work. And what he’s achieved with the Lions these last few years remains impressive.
