Detroit's defense has been inconsistent through the first three games this season. The players and coaches on that side of the ball will be the first ones to tell you that.
Despite injuries hitting the unit pretty hard, no one is making excuses.
"That's the NFL," defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. "Everybody has these injuries, and everybody has to adapt and adjust. We'll do the same, I expect us to be better going forward."
So how does the defense improve? Safety Glover Quin has an idea.
"We just have to come out and play," Quin said. "We just have to fly around, attack and just play. A lot of times playing fast and with great effort can cover up some mistakes. Sometimes guys may have mistakes, but if you're playing fast, sometimes you can cover it up.
"We have to play fast and stop second-guessing ourselves or trying to play perfect or whatever it may be and just fly around and be aggressive and let the chips fall where they may."
BEAT THE BEARS
That's the goal this week as the Lions embark on their second straight NFC North road trip.
The Lions are likely to see backup quarterback Brian Hoyer, while starter Jay Cutler continues to recover from a right thumb injury.
"I think it's just going out, run the huddle, command, show these guys I know what to do and earn their respect," Hoyer said Wednesday in a conference call with Detroit media. "The leadership comes with being the quarterback. That comes with showing the command, the knowledge -- you know how to do this. You know how to be a quarterback in the NFL."
For Mike O'Hara's full scouting report on the Bears, click here.
MARVELOUS MARVIN
Possibly the biggest bright spot for the Lions so far this season has been the play of wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr..
Jones put up 205 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions' loss to the Packers last Sunday, bringing his yardage total to 408. He's the first Lions player ever (yes, including Calvin Johnson) to reach 400 yards in the first three games of the season.
His emergence as a deep threat for quarterback Matthew Stafford has added a big-play element to the Lions' offense.
"He's done a nice job, obviously has really good body control," said Stafford, who is one of only six quarterbacks in the NFL with an accuracy percentage above 60 percent when throwing deep (20 yards or more) this season.
"He's got good speed, good body control and doing a good job of attacking the ball when it's in the air."
INJURY REPORT
The Lions have already ruled linebacker DeAndre Levy and defensive end Ziggy Ansah out for Sunday's contest. Everyone else on the injury report is listed as questionable.
OTHER NOTEWORTHY ITEMS:
- Will we see more of running back Dwayne Washington this week? Tim Twentyman answers that question and more in his latest 10 Questions column.
- See which Lions players rank in the NFL's top 10 in various statistical categories through three weeks of play.
- Outside of being a Detroit Lions Cheerleader, Ashante' is working on her nursing degree. Get to know her in this week's Cheer Spotlight.
