FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Falcons' defense has continued to make the big strides they showed in the second half of 2016, but their next opponent has shown a similar improvement on defense as well.

A relentless pass rush, and a ball-hawking mentality have become key traits of Dan Quinn's defense in Atlanta, but they are also the same qualities that have helped the Detroit Lions jump out to a 2-0 start this season.

On Sunday, the Falcons' offense will face the best defense they've seen this season.

The Lions are currently seventh in the NFL in yards allowed per game, giving up 289 yards through the first two weeks. They allow just 53.5 rushing yards per game, which is the fourth-fewest in the league, and they have six sacks thus far, including a five-sack performance against the New York Giants in Week 2.

Detroit's secondary is a testament to how increased experience playing together can translate to on-field success. The Lions are tied for first with 17 passes defended this season and rank second with four interceptions.

While there may not be many household names on Detroit's defense, this is a group that has played very solid football so far in 2017.

"Over the two games this year that I've seen, I've really seen their secondary tackling well," Quinn said of the Lions' defense. "That part really, it seems to me, has gotten stronger. More time in the system together as players, but the nickel has done a good job; the safeties can tackle well; they added Davis at linebacker, who I think is a good tackler. That part feels like they're really playing fundamentally sound, defensively."

There is one play, however, whose name should be known around the league: Ziggy Ansah. The Lions' star pass-rusher has 35 sacks throughout his five years in the league, and he is coming off a three-sack performance against the Giants.

He will be a player to watch on Sunday, and he is the subject of this week's After Further Review.

How the Lions use him

Detroit runs a base 4-3 defense, and through the first two weeks of the season, Ansah has played a majority of his snaps on the right side of the Lions' formations. Of the 62 snaps he's played this year, 56 have come on the right side of the defense, including the three that resulted in a sack against the Giants.

Assuming this usage ratio holds true against the Falcons, Ansah will primarily line up against left tackle Jake Matthews rather than Ty Sambrailo or Ryan Schraeder, if he's passed through the league's concussion protocol before Sunday's game.

Matthews has faced Ansah once before in his career, when the Falcons and Lions played in London in 2014, and he's familiar with what Detroit's pass-rusher brings to the table.

"He's very long and athletic," Matthews said. "He's not one-dimensional with his rushes. He's got power moves; he's got hand moves; he can beat you around the edge. He mixes it up really well, but we're going to prepare and I feel confident going into it."

Ansah has elite length

Ansah is 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, but it's his arm length that really stands out on film. According to his NFL Combine measurements, Ansah's arm length is just over 35 inches. For the sake of comparison, Vic Beasley's arm length is 32.5 inches.

When asked what he first noticed about Ansah, Quinn immediately mentioned that length.