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: All the coaches and players I talked to really came out of that first performance in Green Bay believing a lot of their warts in that game were self-inflicted with communication issues that led to missed assignments.
Detroit's offensive coaches didn't panic and went to work fixing the issues that surfaced at Lambeau Field. It was really that simple. No scheme or big changes. The issues were fixed and that unit has looked great ever since. They've allowed zero sacks the last three weeks, and Detroit has the No. 6-ranked run game in the league going into Week 5 averaging 139.0 yards per game on the ground.
20man: One name that jumps out to me is third-year safety Jordan Battle. Not only does Battle lead the Bengals in tackles with 32, but he also leads the team with two interceptions.
Opposing quarterbacks are completing just 46.7 percent of the passes thrown in his coverage area (7-for-15) with a passer rating of just 26.4. He's a playmaker.
20man: After what Amik Robertson did covering Justin Jefferson Week 18 last year on the outside, if anyone is going to travel with Ja'Marr Chase my best guess would be Robertson in that situation. I suspect Avonte Maddox will get a lot of the reps in the slot. I think that will been the main three at cornerback to start if Terrion Arnold (shoulder) is active and it will be interesting to see how defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard opts to play his coverages on Chase and Tee Higgins, two very talented receivers for the Bengals.
20man: I've got four predictions for you ...
1. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown: St. Brown is looking for his fourth game in a row with seven-plus catches, 70-plus receiving yards and a touchdown catch. He's been great and I don't see him slowing down one bit.
2. WR Jameson Williams: I see a bounce back week for Williams after a couple drops last week vs. Cleveland. Maybe one big one? Cincinnati's given up the fourth most pass plays of 20-plus yards (14) this season.
3. RB David Montgomery: This week is personal for Montgomery. He grew up in Cincinnati and has never been back to play there in college or the pros until now. He's highly motivated to have a big week. He has 15 touchdowns in 16 road games with Detroit.
4. RB Jahmyr Gibbs: I could certainly see Gibbs getting over 75 scrimmage yards. In fact, he's racked up at least 95-plus scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in his last three.
20man: Not yet. Cornerback is such a tough position to play in this league, second to quarterback, in my opinion, and sometimes it takes a little bit of time. I remember the Lions selecting Darius Slay with the 36th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. That's just 12 spots different than where the Lions took Terrion Arnold last year at 24th overall. It took Slay a full year to find his footing and become the player he's been for 13+ years.
Do we need to see improvements from Arnold? Of course, particularly when it comes to technique and penalty issues that keep popping up, but he has talent and the right demeanor to play the position. I'll give head coach Dan Campbell, Sheppard, passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend and Detroit's coaching staff time to bring him along. He's only 22 years old.
"It's a tough job. It's a tough position. But for him, he's just got to keep working," Townsend said this week.
"Keep grinding on the little things. Let the process mean more than the results. As long as he keeps his process, it'll show up. That's one thing at this position you just have to stay consistent. You just have to keep working and grinding find ways how he can get one play better."
20man: He does not get enough credit. Look, Jared Goff’s not going to get out of the pocket a whole lot and create with his legs. That's not who he is as a player, but his pocket presence inside the pocket and his ability to avoid the rush while keeping his eyes downfield is extremely underrated based on the film. He doesn't get frazzled in the pocket and can stand in there with it closing in on him and still deliver an accurate football. It's remarkable.
What really helps Goff in this regard is his pre-snap acumen. He's seeing the field so well and understands what defenses are trying to do before he even snaps the ball. He has the freedom to change the play and the protections and is terrific in that regard because of his preparation before he even steps on the field on Sunday. He's playing at an elite level to start 2025.
20man: The Lions have 21 days starting Wednesday to make that decision. Talking with defensive lineman Alim McNeill Wednesday, he's certainly chomping at the bit to get back, but the Lions are going to make sure he has enough practice under his belt and ramps his activity up before they throw him into the mix on gameday.
I'd be a little surprised if he's back next week vs. Kansas City but I wouldn't rule it out. I think a more realistic goal would be Tampa Bay on Monday night Oct. 20, but the Lions could wait until after the Week 8 bye and give McNeill a full month of practice to ramp up and be ready for Nov. 2 vs. Minnesota at home.
20man: I don't see that as a huge priority right now, but certainly things can change if the Lions suffer some injuries upfront. I actually like the depth inside with players like Kayode Awosika and Trystan Colon in the mix. Detroit's pretty high on the development of Kingsley Eguakun too.
The depth at tackle concerns me a little more after Dan Skipper, especially with Taylor Decker dealing with a shoulder injury that might have to be managed all season. Second-year tackle Giovanni Manu has taken big strides in his development, but is he ready to step in and play 60 snaps at left tackle? Not sure yet. There might only be one way to find out but let's hope it doesn't come to that.
20man: Rookie edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein was waived with an injury settlement during roster cutdowns in August. He suffered a pectoral injury in the preseason. The Lions could have put him on IR with the designation to return (8 allotted) but instead opted for the roster freedom.
"Bottom line, he's going to be a Detroit Lion. He's going to be back on the football field playing this year," Lions GM Brad Holmes said back in August about Hassanein.
20man: Always remember this: It's not a matter of if injuries are going to happen but when. The sooner you accept that, the more relaxed you'll be about injuries. The key is to avoid the major ones that cost players significant time or their season like we saw last year with Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Derrick Barnes and the list goes on way too long.
Detroit's had some injuries this first month of the season, but it looks like they've avoided the serious ones so far. Davenport is expected back. So is veteran cornerback D.J. Reed. Those injuries teams can deal with and plan for with how they build their depth. No big concerns yet. If teams are going to have some injuries like this, it's better to have them in September and October instead of December and January. Detroit's in a pretty good spot right now considering what else we've seen around the league from some teams.
