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Lions, Raiders striving toward first interception

Ninety-two players in the NFL have recorded an interception this season; twenty have multiple picks -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings has four.

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The Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders, somehow, have yet to intercept a pass in eight games combined. They are the only teams in the league without an interception.

"It's one thing that we need to be able to come down with," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said, according to MLive.com. "We were a very big turnover team last year. (We) scored on defense and turned the ball over quite a bit. We haven't done that so far this year.

"When we rush the passer better, we'll get more interceptions. When we get more interceptions, we'll rush the passer better. When we stop the run better, we'll do well to those. When we get leads, when we don't get outscored in the first half, then all that stuff will take care of itself."

None of "that stuff" has happened for an underachieving Lions team. The Lions have one of the worst secondaries in the league, but zero interceptions through four games is hard to do in a passing league. You'd think an errant deflection would have happened by now.

Then again, the Raiders and Lions have a combined 2-6 record for a reason. Oakland has the No. 28 scoring defense (31.2 points per game) in the league and Detroit is No. 26 (28.5).

"I think it's a combination of things," Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said. "I've always believed that. You know, I had a defensive lineman, he was drafted as the ninth pick in the draft and everybody said he's a bust after six games. So we played the Dallas Cowboys on a Sunday or Monday night, Leslie O'Neal got five sacks, and then he got four the week after.

"So sacks, interceptions, fumbles, they all come. It's just a matter of time, and I think the way we play, the balls coming out. It's coming out, we just haven't recovered it. We need to get the ball when it's in the air."

Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.