4. Bryan McClendon, Tampa Bay’s wide receivers coach, was asked about all of Detroit’s injuries in the secondary heading into the game. He said Detroit’s standards aren’t going to change no matter who plays Monday, just how the standard in his room hasn’t changed despite all their injuries at receiver this season.
“You look at those guys schematically and you know they got good players from top to bottom,” McClendon said. “It’s hard to be good in this league and not have a good roster from top to bottom. Whoever they put out there is going to uphold the standard that they have to play.
“At the end of the day we have to focus on us and do a really good job knowing what they do and knowing how they do it and understand it’s going to take all we got over there on Monday.”
5. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was complimentary of Detroit’s back seven on defense, even with the Lions dealing with several injuries in their secondary. He said two things jumped out to him watching Detroit’s defense on tape. First, he called veteran safety Kerby Joseph a ballhawk and said Joseph shows up all over the tape. Second, he mentioned Detroit’s veteran linebacker group and how well they play together which allows Detroit to run so many different coverages because of their experience and versatility.