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: Not so much on the 10 personnel (one running back, no tight ends). A lot of what the Lions do in the run game and play action pass game is under center with the tight ends involved. Head coach Dan Campbell and the offensive staff have confidence in the backups to play their roles and perform.
Minus the Philadelphia game, which was a one-off for both this offense and quarterback Jared Goff, Detroit has scored 34, 24 and 44 points against New York, Green Bay and Dallas the last three weeks.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs stepping up with 26 receptions since tight end Sam LaPorta went down has been a big plus and I see his role in the pass game continuing to grow with their reserve tight ends also continuing to play a role.
As for tackle Penei Sewell playing tight end, I'm convinced if he lost weight and spent a full year doing it, he could be a really good tight end. Pound for pound, the best athlete in the NFL. I prefer him plowing the way for Gibbs and Co. and keeping Goff upright as the best right tackle in football.
20man: Math was my worst subject in school, Cole.
If they finish 4-0 and get to 12-5, it means they went on a tear to finish the season and are playing their best football at the absolute perfect time. A 12-win team has been the No. 1 seed twice since the 14-team format began in 2020. There are a bunch of teams that can get to 12 wins and a lot of them play each other down the stretch. To get the No. 1 seed, the Lions would still need help but a 4-0 finish would guarantee a playoff spot and put them in the conversation for a division title and a top four seed depending on what happens with Green Bay (one and a half game lead over Detroit) down the stretch.
A 3-1 finish gets them to 11-6 and puts them in a good spot for the Wild Card depending on what happens with Green Bay (9-3-1), Seattle (10-3), San Francisco (9-4), LA Rams (10-3) and Chicago (9-4) ahead of them. In this scenario, the loss being to the Pittsburgh Steelers from the AFC Week 16 would be the best scenario due to conference tie break. A loss to Chicago is the worst-case scenario with their chances of making playoff going from better than 90 percent if the loss is to either LA, Pittsburgh, or Minnesota to 75 percent if it's Chicago.
Green Bay still plays Chicago and the Bears also play in San Francisco Week 17. Seattle and San Francisco play Week 18. The Packers have a tough game this week in Denver and have Chicago and Baltimore remaining on their schedule. If Detroit goes 3-1 to get to 11 wins, I see them almost certainly in the Wild Card and the division title will depend on Green Bay losing three of their last four and Chicago going at least 2-2 with Detroit beating them Week 18 in Chicago.
If Detroit goes 2-2 to finish, they'll get to 10-7 and will need a lot of help. Those two wins will need to be against the Rams and Bears to give them a shot, but it would be a longer shot.
20man: The NFL is certainly going to tackle that question in the offseason.
The NFL and NFLPA just came to an agreement on a new mandate league-wide for playing surfaces. Every playing surface at every NFL stadium will have to meet new enhanced standards set through lab and field testing by the start of the 2028 season.
Fields will be tested in labs and on site with a traction testing device that replicates the movements of an NFL player and an impact tester to help determine the firmness of each field. The goal of the league is to find fields that are as consistent as possible across all 30 NFL stadiums in hopes of reducing injury risk.
20man: This is a game where the front four must make their presence felt. That unit played well against Dallas and affected the game with 19 total pressures and 5.0 sacks. They'll have to play even better Sunday.
It's been dangerous blitzing Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford this season as he leads the NFL with a 121.8 passer rating when blitzed with 22 touchdowns and no interceptions. The Rams have weapons at wide receiver, tight end and running back in the pass game and Rams head coach Sean McVay is great at finding one-on-one matchups. Stafford can put the ball anywhere on the field.
If the Lions can get pressure with their front four and drop more in coverage, it's only going to help the secondary. Then it's on those guys to make plays on the ball when they are in phase to do so.
20man: Kerby Joseph (knee) and Thomas Harper (concussion) returned to practice this week. We'll have to see if Joseph can make it through the week of practice and play for the first time since Week 6. I think Harper's played well filling in for Joseph. I was also impressed with the way Avonte Maddox stepped in last week and chipped in eight tackles, a forced fumble and a pass defended. He's an experienced veteran.
Long-term, we'll have to see how Brian Branch comes back but the expectation is a full recovery given the medical advancements in that surgery and rehab over the years. When that will be inside the 8-to-12-month window is yet to be determined as he heads into the last year of his rookie contract in 2026.
We'll also have to see what kind of long-term effects, if any, this knee injury has on Joseph's game and his availability. Those two have been the long-term plan at safety for the last two seasons.
Detroit's safeties have a tough assignment this week playing a veteran quarterback like Stafford who does a good job manipulating safeties with his eyes. They have to trust their keys and not be fooled by the eye candy.
20man: There is a big difference between coming back and finishing the last month of the season and hopefully a playoff run and taking part in the entire offseason training program and a training camp that playing in 2026 would probably require from Frank Ragnow.
If Ragnow was willing to come back and put his body through the rigors of playing NFL football again, then maybe he's willing to give it a go one last season to make a Super Bowl run with this crew. It's something we'll have more clarity on after the season and before the new league year begins. I would be a little surprised by a return but certainly wouldn't rule it out just yet.
20man: Rookie edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein is caught up in a numbers game along the defensive line at the moment with Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport and Al-Quadin Muhammad all currently healthy and contributing. Hassanein is in a good spot right now developing alongside a veteran group with one of the best defensive line coaches in the NFL in Kacy Rodgers.
20man: Yes it is too early, but I'll humor you. I believe retooling the offensive line should be a big part of the equation this offseason. Taylor Decker has two years remaining on his contract and he's playing good football, but he's openly talked about retirement considerations after the injuries he's dealt with this season. Either way, finding a potential left tackle for the future will be important whether that's the draft or free agency.
Is the plan still to move Tate Ratledge to center? If not, that could be another spot where Detroit could look to the future. Sewell, Ratledge and Christian Mahogany are foundational pieces upfront, but this team could be looking for a left tackle and center, and we know the preferred method of roster building for Brad Holmes and Campbell is the NFL Draft.
20man: It will likely be Harper (if he clears concussion protocol) and Maddox before I expect them turn to the newly signed Jalen Mills or Damontae Kazee (practice squad). At least in the short term.
Holmes has done a really nice job building depth in the secondary with veteran players this year and Mills and Kazee fit, having played 230 games combined with 155 starts between them. Branch is a special player who does so much for this defense. There's no replacing No. 32 and the versatility and production he provides.
But it's next man up mentality and the players that plug in must find spots to make their own impact.
Normally I stick to my X account for questions, but I got an email I thought was interesting so I included it this week. From Scott V. in Missouri:
"I am a long-time Lions fan that now lives in Missouri. I only get to watch the Nationally televised games. I have noticed in those games this year that Hutch always has one or two hands in the dirt. I remember him talking about how he took off at Michigan when he started to stand up. He could see so much more of the game. Also, he took off with Lions when he started to stand up too. Is there a reason Hutch is not standing up this year?
20man: I thought it was an interesting observation so I went to the best source: Hutchinson himself. He said while he feels he can see the field better when he stands up, he felt much more explosive coming out of the three- or four-point stance and he values that aspect of his game and rush plan the most.
