Offensive coordinator John Morton, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and special teams coordinator Dave Fipp spoke to the media Friday ahead of the Detroit Lions' Monday Night Football matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Here are my 10 biggest takeaways from those media sessions:

1. Sheppard and his defense are treating Monday's contest against a very stout Ravens offensive front and all their skill weapons as a litmus test to see where they stand as a unit. He said it's imperative for his unit to send a message early and get off the field on that first scripted drive. Starting fast is a big emphasis in the defensive room this week.

2. Baltimore is a disciplined defense that mixes up their coverages well. They mix in man and zone well. Morton said Baltimore's defense is particularly strong up the middle with safety Kyle Hamilton, linebacker Roquan Smith and the interior of their defensive line. Defenses that are strong up the middle are always difficult to play. It should make for a great game Monday night because Detroit's offense attacks the middle of the field more than most offenses around the league.

3. Kickoff returns have surged the first two weeks of the 2025 season compared to 2024. Over 75 percent of kickoffs have been returned vs. just 33 percent last season. Detroit ranks 25th with an average return of 23.4 yards. They have a long of just 28 yards. It's only been two weeks but Fipp sees more explosive returns in Detroit's future. The Lions rank 17th in opponent kickoff return average (25.4).

4. Sheppard had no hesitation calling third-year safety Brian Branch one of the pillars of his defense. Branch's versatility is so critical to Sheppard's development of the scheme week to week. Sheppard said this defense will ultimately go as far as those pillars like Branch take them.

5. Morton doesn't usually watch the game film of the previous performance twice but said he did so this week because it was such a fun watch. He said he hasn't been a part of many performances where the offense put up 52 points and accomplished all the major goals they set out to in the game plan.

6. Kicker Jake Bates missed a 55-yard field goal wide left last week vs. Chicago. We saw in training camp Bates missed a lot of his longer kicks left. Fipp didn't seem too concerned about it. The most disappointing thing about that play to Fipp was it coming off the Lions' defense forcing a turnover on downs in Lions territory. He was disappointed with the offense and special teams letting down the defense by not converting the stop into points.

7. Rookie defensive lineman Tyleik Williams had a couple critical plays for Sheppard's defense last week. The 3rd & 1 and 4th & 1 stops on back-to-back plays were a direct result of Williams' push and play inside. He also had a critical pass defended on a fourth down play. Sheppard said Williams has done a good job early learning that the team doesn't grade his performance by the stat sheet but by overall impact. Sheppard said he's taken that to heart and in doing so is becoming a key player inside.

8. Morton thought rookie guard Tate Ratledge played a much more consistent game overall last week vs. Chicago than in his NFL debut Week 1 in Green Bay. Morton talked about the communication issues he had Week 1 being much better last week. The Lions face another loud road environment Monday night but Morton believes they've ironed out the communication issues in practice that plagued Ratledge and some other players upfront Week 1.

9. Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh cut his teeth in the NFL as a special teams coach before getting the head coaching job with the Ravens in 2008. Fipp said he respects how Harbaugh's years as a special teams coordinator and the wholistic roster view one must have has impacted the head coach he's become. Fipp said Harbaugh has won with different styles of quarterbacks, different offenses and different defenses in over 19 years as the Ravens' head coach.

10. It's hard to make Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson one-dimensional, Sheppard said Friday. Jackson can make plays with his legs, but he's also become one of the better pocket passers, looking for his 11th straight contest with at least two passing touchdowns and a rating over 90-plus. Sheppard has a plan of attack, admits he hasn't gotten much sleep this week, and is excited to see where the chips fall Monday for his defense.