For the second consecutive week, the Lions will be without their two best players on defense.
Defensive end Ziggy Ansah (ankle) and linebacker DeAndre Levy (quad) are officially inactive and will not play today in Chicago. It will be the third game in a row missed by Levy, and the second for Ansah.
"There's always a challenge when you don't have two really good players out there," Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said this week.
"But, we go into everything trying to take away the best thing that the other team does. I don't know if it's a big thing in terms of a challenge of the game plan, I think it's a challenge in how we've been doing it. We have to do what we're doing better, and we have to just try to execute better."
The Lions' defense enters Sunday's contest 27th in scoring (28.3), 21st overall (379.0), 21st against the rush (114.7) and 16th vs. the pass (264.3).
That unit will also be without starting strong safety Tavon Wilson, who left last week's game in Green Bay with a neck injury and did not return. Wilson was limited all week in practice. Veteran Rafael Bush could fill that void, with Miles Killebrew and Don Carey in reserve.
Detroit's linebacking corps does get a boost today with the return of rookie Antwione Williams, who sat out last week with a hamstring injury. Williams started in place of Levy Week 2 vs. Tennessee before suffering that injury.
"Young, tough, aggressive, learning," head coach Jim Caldwell said this week, when asked of Williams' Week 2 performance before the injury.
The Lions listed receiver Marvin Jones Jr., tight end Eric Ebron, defensive end Wallace Gilberry, tackle Riley Reiff and defensive end Devin Taylor as questionable on Friday's injury report, but all five are active.
Joining Levy, Ansah and Wilson on the Lions' inactive list are: tackle Cornelius Lucas, offensive lineman Joe Dahl, cornerback Adairius Barnes and receiver Aaron Dobson.
