DETROIT -- The cohesion, for the most part, hasn’t been there. There have been points when the Detroit Lions' defense has looked like a unit with playmakers who can make stops and affect outcomes of games.

More often, though, the Lions' defense has appeared to be a group still figuring things out. They’ve struggled to get any pass rush. They’ve had difficulty covering tight ends. They’ve allowed points in sixes and sevens instead of threes.

The Lions have allowed two pedestrian quarterbacks -- Brian Hoyer in Week 4 and Case Keenum on Sunday -- to throw for 300 yards. They’ve struggled throughout on that side of the ball.

“We just haven’t found our stride yet,” Lions defensive end Kerry Hyder said. “We clearly have capable players that can make a lot of plays. We've just got to ... we've got to mesh.

“We’re not meshing well right now, and you know, as you can see, we can make it happen. We can make big plays. So we've just got to keep doing it and put a whole game together.”

The Lions' defense, which gave up 387 total yards in beating the Rams on Sunday, needs to be better and more consistent. Tim Fuller/USA TODAY Sports

Detroit’s inconsistent defense -- the Lions allowed a Rams offense that entered Sunday as the league’s worst to gain 387 yards -- has put pressure on its offense. It forces the offense, which has been on point most of the season, to play with a slim margin of error.

So far, the Lions have managed to be a .500 team. But the schedule gets more difficult starting Sunday, with the Washington Redskins, followed by the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9.

The Lions have given up 25.5 points per game, essentially on the same pace as last season. They’ve allowed more than 100 rushing yards per game, including more than 4.6 yards per carry and more than 270 passing yards per game. Detroit has been outgained in its past three games.

There hasn’t even been consistency in the timing of Detroit’s defensive struggles. The Lions have been good late in games the past two weeks, after being discombobulated in the fourth quarter the first two weeks of the season.

They’ve had to deal with multiple injuries in the front seven, from starters such as Ezekiel Ansah, DeAndre Levy and Haloti Ngata to role players such as Josh Bynes, and that has affected the pass rush and coverage. Before last week, Detroit had one turnover all season before forcing three in two weeks.

“Man, we've just got to settle down and do our jobs better,” safety Tavon Wilson said. “I mean, that’s all what it comes down to: Everybody doing their job, locking in on the game plan and just playing better football. I wouldn’t say that was our best game, but the good thing is we get to learn from a win.”

Yet there were flashes of what the Lions can be. Those flashes the past two weeks have come at big times: a game-saving fumble recovery and game-sealing interception last week against Philadelphia and a goal-line stop at the end of the first half and a game-sealing pick in a 31-28 win over Los Angeles on Sunday. But the Lions are trying to get to a point where those plays at big times aren’t necessary because they are consistent throughout the game.

“Obviously, we've got to play better. We've got to get more stops,” safety Glover Quin said. “We can’t give up 28 points. Those are common things, you know. But as a team, the offense’s job is go score every time. The defense’s job is to get a stop every time. That’s kind of how it is.

“It don’t work like that, but that’s why it’s a team game, and we have games hopefully where, maybe if the offense struggles and we've got to pitch a shutout. We've got to play one of those good games. When the defense is struggling, we've got to score 40. When the offense and defense is struggling, you've got to get a kick return. You've got to be able to win in all three phases. Offense has done a great job of scoring points, so it’s very appreciated.”

The defense knows it has to find a way to improve -- quickly -- if Detroit wants to contend for a playoff berth this season.

The Lions have found offensive momentum even with the injuries they've suffered. Their special teams, particularly kicking and punting, have been consistent. The defense, meanwhile, is still trying to -- as Hyder said -- “mesh.”

If it doesn't, it’s going to put a burden on Detroit’s offense all season.