D-LINE CONTINUITY

Every team deals with injuries, but when it comes to Detroit's defensive front, that unit has been a bit unlucky this season. Detroit's played nine games and hasn't had their full complement of players available in any one game yet.

Whether it's been Da’Shawn Hand with the elbow and now ankle injuries, or Mike Daniels missing six games due to a foot injury, Detroit hasn't had all of the players available to them.

That's certainly not an excuse for the way the unit has played collectively this season, which is not good enough, but it has prevented them from doing some of the multiple scheme stuff upfront they thought would be available to them when training camp started.

"Defense has been the one place with the defensive line where it's probably been the most inconsistent as far as the bodies we've had out there, and the different amount of variations we've been able to use because of that," Lions head coach Matt Patricia said this week.

"I would say that is true. I think part of that is, when those guys aren't out there there's a lot of time on task that's lost. I think all that affects it. The continuity of the front is definitely affected from that aspect of it."