Lions EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad quietly had an excellent game vs. the Titans, and that gives Detroit some hope for their pass rush. We break down the film here.
Ever since Detroit Lions star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson had his regular season ended during a blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys, fans across the world have had questions about where the Lions would go from here.
Who would pick up the slack on the defensive line? How do you begin to replace a force such as Hutchinson? As you may expect, the answer is a lengthy one.
Finding a one-for-one replacement for Hutchinson in-season is close to impossible. Apart from trading for a high-profile player before next week’s trade deadline, replacing Hutchinson’s production was always going to be a group effort. Enter veteran defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad.
Muhammad originally entered the league as a sixth-round pick out of the University of Miami back in 2017. He spent his rookie year with the New Orleans Saints, before spending the next four with the Indianapolis Colts. He spent one year in Chicago in 2022 before returning back to Indianapolis’ practice squad in 2023.
Overall, Muhammad put some good stuff on tape during the Lions’ 52-14 dismantling of the Tennessee Titans in Week 8.
“Muhammad, I thought, did exactly what we thought he would do, and what we wanted him to do,” said Lions coach Dan Campbell of Muhammad’s performance. “Man, bring your lunch pail and come to work. Play violent, play physical, finish on the plays, and I thought he did that. So that was good. And he’s experienced. He’s played in this league, and so he’s got some awareness about him at that position.”
Let’s jump into the All-22 and see what the veteran defensive end was able to bring to the table as a pass rusher against Tennessee.
Active hands and bending the edge
Right away when you watch Muhammad operate on tape, you can tell he is an experienced rusher with a solid repertoire of pass-rush moves. At 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, Muhammad has some power in his hands despite not being the biggest edge rusher out there, and his ability to dip under a blocker’s initial punch is something that stood out to me on several occasions.
Watch on this rep as he gets right tackle Leroy Watson IV to overextend on his pass set. From there, Muhammad chops down with his right arm before ripping back underneath to bend the edge. The play resulted in a completion for Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph, but still a good move from Muhammad that will help speed up the clock of most quarterbacks.
Next up we have the Titans on fourth down on the Detroit 1-yard line just before the end of the first half, and this series appeared to sap the last little bit of life Tennessee had left.
To me, when an edge rusher can deal with a chip and get right into their rush, that is a sign of being a veteran with a plan. That is exactly what we get from Muhammad on this rep. The chip from the tight end hardly bothers him, easily defeating the hands of the would-be blocker.
From there, a quick swipe of tackle John Ojukwu’s hands allows him to bend the edge and force another hurried throw from Rudolph. Turnover on downs and Tennessee’s soul is close to essentially crushed despite it only being halftime.
Sometimes the other team can make things easy for a player as a rusher, and that is exactly what the Titans do here. To be fair, they are asking a lot of tight end Chig Okonkwo (85). He is in motion towards the side of the playfake, before turning around and having Muhammad immediately in his face.
Wide receiver Tyler Boyd (83) is equally as helpless as he has no real hope of cutting off Muhammad on his way to the quarterback. The result is a punch-out by cornerback Amik Robertson, and a recovery for the Lions defense.
Bull rush and long arm
I would assume that this was not a favorite rep of Titans rookie left tackle JC Latham. Muhammad displays some impressive power here as he catches Latham off-balance in his pass set. He gets two hands into Latham’s chest and is able to get underneath the left tackle a bit, resulting in a really quick win for the veteran, and a “Welcome to the NFL,” moment for the rookie tackle.
Here’s another example of Muhammad’s impressive bull-rush. Despite only being 250 pounds, he displayed a good amount of power when he committed to running through a blocker’s chest.
Watch the initial pop on this rep. Ojukwu attempts to reset his hands at the end of the rep, but Muhammad is able to shake him off and sprint after Rudolph towards the sideline, resulting in an incomplete pass.
To me, there are few things prettier in football than watching an edge rusher execute a good long arm. Watch as Muhammad engages the blocker before extending that right arm, and using that as leverage to displace the blocker back into the lap of Rudolph.
When Dan Campbell talked about Muhammad playing with power and violence, this is the stuff he was talking about.
Things to clean up
Although there wasn’t much, there was a bit of rust to Muhammad’s game. After a few penalties, Tennessee was backed up into a second-and-28 situation on their own side of the 50. Once again working against Latham, Muhammad spins inside towards his left shoulder. This washes him down the line of scrimmage, causing him to lose rush-lane integrity, and gives Rudolph the space he needs to take off for a decent chunk of yards.
The series still resulted in a punt for the Titans, but I am sure Muhammad and Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams will be discussing this rep this week ahead of the Week 9 matchup with the Green Bay Packers.
