TAVAI'S INCREASING ROLE

In three of the last four weeks, rookie linebacker Jahlani Tavai has played in at least 67 percent of the defensive snaps for the Lions. His season high was Week 7 vs. Minnesota, playing 82 percent of the defensive snaps in that contest. For the season, Tavai is averaging close to 58 percent of the snaps, so we're seeing a consistent uptick in his playing time recently.

Veteran linebacker Jarrad Davis played his fewest defensive snaps, by percentage, this season Sunday in Chicago in a game in which he was healthy. He played in 77 percent of the snaps.

During a couple defensive drives Sunday, Tavai played the MIKE and made the defensive calls. He ended up playing 67 percent of the defensive snaps in Chicago, finishing with three tackles and a sack.

"I think one of the things that I was conscious of in this game was making sure we did have a good rotation with the linebacker corp," Patricia said. "We had a couple different packages that we kind of threw at the Bears, and I think for that it was predetermined.

"It was something that we had kind of scripted through the game of like, 'Hey, we're going to give certain guys rest during these series and roll them in and out,' from that aspect of it." So, that we could try to be better in the fourth quarter."

Both Patricia and defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni said this week that Tavai's increased role is a way to rotate players in and out in an effort to keep guys fresh. It was not a demotion for Davis.

"Yeah, we love Jarrad," Pasqualoni said Tuesday. "Jarrad is our signal caller, he's our quarterback on defense. He has really, really, really good leadership – very, very good leadership and a great guy."