Glover Quin has been a one-man army in the Detroit Lions secondary. Through three weeks he has two interceptions, one for a touchdown, and has been key to the Detroit’s defensive success so far this year.

Lions Wire readers have seen it; at the time of this writing nearly half of your 168 votes for defensive MVP have been for Quin. But if we take a look at the film, it becomes obvious how vital his play has been to keeping Detroit in games.

The Lions lost their week 3 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons in heartbreaking fashion, but if not for Quin the game may not have been that close in the first place. He helped counter the usually deadly Falcons pass attack, helping hold every Falcons receiver below 100 yards.

His highlight-reel pick-six at the end of the first half that helped breathe life into a lifeless Lions team:

The Lions already trailed 17-6 at this point, and the Falcons were looking to put together another scoring drive at the end of the half. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan is guilty of staring down primary receiver Julio Jones on the play, and Quin reads the quarterback. Once he sees Ryan pull back to pass he instantly bolts towards Jones, and manages to jump the pass for an interception.

Vision and anticipation are two of the most important traits to an NFL free safety. He manages to have an eye on Jones while also watching Ryan, and made a huge play that turned the tide of the game.

Quin’s vision and anticipation would go on to the Lions a chance to win the game near the end of the fourth quarter:

Detroit is in prevent defense on a third-and-long late in the fourth quarter, trailing by 4. If Atlanta converts the game is all but over. If the Lions get a stop then they get the ball back with a chance to win the game.

Jones makes a catch underneath the deep zone coverage, then runs laterally across the field to reach the first down. Quin reads the path of the receiver from his deep role and comes up to make a play. He chops down Jones a few yards short of the first down.

The Lions would get the ball back.We all know how that ended.

We all know how that ended.

Quin was quietly great all game. The Falcons did not complete a single pass where the ball traveled over 20 yards in the air. He had a few pass breakups and was quick to clamp down on receivers in open space, limiting deep passes by Ryan.

Quin was not perfect on Sunday, though. Outside of one great tackle around the edge late in the third quarter, Quin was a non-factor in run protection. He made a few tackles from his safety spot downfield, but was a ghost when he lined up in the box.

While he is great when he lines up downfield, he makes mistakes while coming up the field. On this first quarter play, he fails to properly contain Taylor Gabriel and gets beaten for a huge gain:

Quin reads the screen off the bat and comes flying upfield. He is a little too aggressive on his approach, though. Gabriel reads him coming upfield and immediately cuts inside. He gets pushed around the play by the blocker. Then again, the entire Lions defense looked lost on this play, so it’s hard to blame Quin too much.

Detroit’s veteran safety is looking like one of the most talented backstops in the league. He’s a staple in the Lions secondary, which through three weeks has been the most impressive unit on the team. Quin, cornerback Darius Slay and the rest of the Lions defense forced Matt Ryan to have one of his worst games in years as they snagged three interceptions from last year’s MVP.

There are still question marks around the roster, and a few things the Lions will need to sort out if they want to contend this season. But as long as Quin is around, free safety will remain the strength of their defense.

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