Every week during the regular season Tim Twentyman will answer 10 good questions from his X account @ttwentyman in a feature we call "10 Questions with Twentyman."
20man: For me, it's veteran cornerback D.J. Reed. He's Detroit's best man-cover corner. Teams are completing just 50 percent of the passes thrown his way this year (8-for-16) with a 44.3 passer rating and no touchdowns. He's physical against the run and with him in the lineup, the Lions are a much better defense overall.
20man: I'll give you one strength for both teams heading into Monday night.
I look at the Bucs' No. 5 ranked rush defense and feel like this could be a game where it comes down to Jared Goff and the passing game to really move the football. Tampa Bay is allowing just 88.2 yards per game on the ground and have allowed just one team this season (Seattle) to rush for more than 100 yards. The strength of their defense is in the middle with DT Vita Vea, LB Lavonte David and S Antoine Winfield. Detroit has a great rushing offense (ranked 8th) but Tampa Bay comes in knowing they must stop Detroit's rushing attack. Detroit failed to rush for 100 yards in two games this season, Green Bay and Kansas City, both losses.
Detroit's potential strength in this one could be in the red zone. Tampa Bay ranks 29th in red-zone offense (52.6 percent) and 28th in red-zone defense (68.8). Finishing drives with touchdowns when getting into the red zone and holding Tampa Bay to field goals when they get inside the 20's will be a big dynamic to watch in this one Monday night.
20man: If Kerby Joseph is available, I could see Thomas Harper stepping in next to him. He's got experience and I thought he did some good things last week.
If Joseph isn't available, it probably comes down to a combination of Harper, Arthur Maulet, Jammie Robinson or potentially Loren Strickland. I thought moving Rock Ya-Sin back to safety where he spent a lot of time in camp could be an option, but defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said Friday he likes how Ya-Sin is playing outside at cornerback.
20man: Aidan Hutchinson had 4.5 sacks and five quarterback hits in that Week 2 loss to Tampa Bay last year. Hutchinson is looking for a sixth straight game with a sack and five straight recording a forced fumble. I think he keeps both streaks alive in this game even though the Buccaneers rank in the top 10 allowing just 10 sacks of Baker Mayfield all season.
Hutchinson leads the NFL in total pressures (36) and now likely getting Alim McNeill back next to him will cause all kinds of issues for Tampa Bay's o-line. I see a big impact play from Hutchinson coming Monday night.
20man: Jahmyr Gibbs is actually tracking to have more receptions this season than the 52 he had in each of his first two seasons. He's got 23 in six games on 25 targets. David Montgomery has just nine receptions.
I think it maybe just seems like Gibbs isn't involved heavily in the pass game because he's averaging just 4.9 yards per reception and he has just one touchdown. There haven't been the big plays in the pass game we've been used to seeing from Gibbs his first two seasons, but I think it's only a matter of time before he pops one. He's just too good in space.
As for the usage Monday, Campbell said he'd like to get Montgomery a little more involved and get the usage closer to 50-50. It's been 57-43 in favor of Gibbs early. Montgomery is averaging 5.1 yards per carry this season to Gibbs' 4.5.
20man: The Lions are in a little bit of a different situation this year because currently they don't have any long-term injuries. Reed, Terrion Arnold, Marcus Davenport, Josh Paschal and Malcolm Rodriguez are all expected back at some point. When healthy, the Lions have good depth at cornerback and at edge rusher with the emergence of Al-Quadin Muhammad (4.5 sacks).
Offensive tackle is an interesting one, but Taylor Decker is on the mend, and would you give up assets for a depth player? Maybe an in-case rental but only for a late pick.
I don't feel like there are any glaring holes that have been created by season-ending injuries or any real deficiencies in one particular area. Maybe that changes by the trade deadline, but I don't see Detroit being major players at this point like they were last year when they had to get an edge rusher because of season-ending injuries to Hutchinson and Davenport.
20man: Detroit hasn't lost back-to-back games since October of 2022 to Dallas and Miami. This team has an innate ability to refocus, lock in and correct mistakes they see on film and play a better brand of football coming off a loss. Let's not lose sight of the talent on this roster. That's a big factor. It's also a pride thing with this group, led by a core of high competitors including Goff, Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Hutchinson and countless others.
This locker room has gotten used to winning and they like the feeling and the pride that comes with that. It hasn't always been that way in my experience before Dan Campbell and Co. arrived and it's a mindset that's now engrained into every player in the locker room.
20man: He's currently on the practice squad so he'd have to be elevated from the practice squad or signed to the 53-man roster ahead of the game. The Lions are in the process of seeing if he can help them during practice this week and will make that call after Saturday.
Fuller has played a lot of football in this league with 128 games and 104 starts under his belt. It will really just come down to who Campbell and Sheppard determine are their top players between Robinson, Nick Whiteside, Tre Flowers (PS) and Maulet (PS) behind starters Amik Robertson and Ya-Sin.
20man: If I'm understanding the question correctly, you're talking about the quick passing game and run after the catch to make plays against the Lions' defense?
Detroit's done a pretty nice job this season reducing the yards after the catch allowed. They've gone from 23rd in that category last year to tied for 10th fewest allowed through six games. Detroit also currently ranks fourth in fewest missed tackles this season. I think last week was kind of an anomaly in that regard vs. what we've consistently seen from Sheppard's defense so far this season.
20man: Did I think the officials missed some calls on the Chiefs Monday? Yes. Having no penalties called on a team is rare. Did the Lions lose Sunday night in Kansas City because of the officiating? No.
Detroit lost because the Chiefs made more winning plays in critical situations in the red zone and on fourth down. Campbell said it. Goff said it. I agree with them.
