Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter spoke to the media Thursday as they do every week.
Here are 10 takeaways from those media sessions:
1. Austin thinks his defense has been trending in the right direction the last four or five weeks. Balls haven't been going over their heads on the backend, and his players have been doing a pretty good job of tackling what's in front of them. Austin admits that some opposing completion percentages have been high, but he doesn't care about that, as long as the ball doesn't go over their head and they're not giving up cheap plays.
2. Marvin Jones Jr.'s production has cooled off after a hot four-game start, but Cooter isn't worried about it. He used Golden Tate's slow start as an example of how these things can sometimes just be an ebb and flow scenario. Cooter said he expects some good games from Jones moving forward.
3. When linebacker DeAndre Levy does return to game action, whenever that is, Austin expects him to be the same player many considered one of the best outside linebackers in the NFL two seasons ago.
4. Jaguars rookie cornerback Jalen Ramsey has looked impressive this season. In fact, when Cooter popped in the Jaguars defensive tape this week, he said Ramsey reminded him of a player in his eighth year, not first.
5. When asked about cornerback Johnthan Banks' role moving forward, Austin confirmed he's an outside cornerback in his scheme. The Lions traded for Banks a couple weeks back before the deadline. Austin is hoping to use him at some point, but doesn't know when that might be, as Banks is still learning the defense.
6. Cooter would like to see more production from running back Dwayne Washington moving forward, though he couldn't guarantee the rookie would see an uptick in carries this week vs. Jacksonville.
7. The bye week did Austin's defense some good from a health standpoint. Cornerback Darius Slay is healthy after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury. The week off gave Ziggy Ansah some time off his sore ankle. "They kind of refresh, recharge, and then come back out and really go at it here for these next six, seven weeks."
8. The Lions have featured four different running backs this season as they continue to figure out the right combination to boost the league's 27th ranked rushing offense. Cooter says a lot of different factors have gone into who the lead back will be on any given Sunday. Don't expect that to change moving forward.
9. The Jaguars have turned the ball over 19 times this season. Austin is going to try to make sure that he does some things from a scheme perspective to cause some turnovers somehow, some way.
10. Despite being on IR with a foot injury, running back Ameer Abdullah is doing a good job of sticking around the facility and staying involved. Cooter says he's looking forward to seeing more of that. The Lions still haven't designated their one allowed player to return off IR.
