Nevertheless, Clinton-Dix said he still believes the defense can be a top-flight unit once players get healthy and they start to feel more comfortable in the scheme.

“I like Mike Pettine a lot. He’s given me a chance to fly around and make plays,” Clinton-Dix said. “When guys are doing what they’re asked to do, we don’t look too bad out there. There are little mistakes we make, but other that, we’re all having fun out there and once we all get in a rhythm and start catching interceptions, it’s only going to bring us together.

“I’m actually having fun — regardless of what the record says — because of the defense and the way it is right now. We’re going to get better. Once we get rolling, we’re going to be hard to stop, if you ask me.”

Like the rest of the defense, Clinton-Dix has had his good moments and his bad moments. He acknowledged he needs to tackle better — he looked bad on Sunday against the Lions when wide receiver Kenny Golliday stiff-armed him late in the first quarter on a 60-yard catch-and-run that set up Detroit’s second touchdown — and be more aggressive.

“For one, I shouldn’t have gotten relaxed on the play,” Clinton-Dix said. “I thought it was a PI (pass-interference penalty), (then) I thought he was going out of bounds, so I relaxed going into the play.