Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell spoke to the media Monday, one day after Detroit's 24-21 victory over the Buccaneers that improved their record to 7-6 and keeps them in the hunt for a playoff berth in the NFC.
Here are the key questions to come out of Monday's press conference.
When Ameer Abdullah returns to the field, will he continue to be Detroit's lead back?
Abdullah missed his second straight contest Sunday due to a neck injury. There was a report that surfaced before Sunday's contest in Tampa Bay that Abdullah being inactive wasn't all about injury, and that production played a part as well.
Caldwell said after the game Abdullah's inactive status was due to injury. He said the same thing Monday.
"It's health issues," he said.
Abdullah has carried the ball 150 times for 505 yards (3.4 average) with four total touchdowns.
Theo Riddick rushed 10 times for 29 yards to lead the Lions' rushing attack Sunday, though he also ran for two touchdowns, including an 18 yarder.
Abdullah was a limited participant in practice last week, but Caldwell said there's certainly a possibility he could be ready to return to action this week.
After watching the film, how did Quandre Diggs look in his second start at strong safety?
Diggs recorded his first career interception. He also forced a fumble, defended a pass and had seven tackles.
"He looked more comfortable," Caldwell said. "And he made a lot of plays for us. He was really active."
Diggs did give up five first downs in his coverage area, according to Pro Football Focus statistics, but he'll continue to grow at that spot the more reps he sees. The Lions seem to like what they're seeing from that switch so far.
Has Caldwell addressed Detroit's playoff picture with the team?
"Like always, we just concentrate on what we have to do next," he said. "You can't win any more than one football game. You can't play any more than one football game. That's all we look at. That's all we focus on."
The Lions are currently the No. 8 seed in the NFC playoff race with Chicago coming to Ford Field to play on Saturday.
What did Caldwell take from Chicago's 33-7 victory in Cincinnati Sunday?
Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky had his best game as a professional, completing 78 percent of his passes for 271 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. He had a passer rating of 112.4.
The Bears also ran for 232 yards and three touchdowns as a team. Defensively, they held Cincinnati to just 254 total yards.
"It was prolific," Caldwell said of the Bears' performance. "They ran the ball extremely well. They threw the ball extremely well."
Caldwell made the point that Chicago can't be judged so much by their 4-9 record because three of those wins have come against Pittsburgh, Carolina and Baltimore -- Three teams that have beat the Lions.
