Tate Ratledge opens up about adjusting to life in the NFL, lessons from veterans, and his first impressions of Dan Campbell.

The only defensive player who graded out higher than Whiteside was defensive lineman Tyrus Wheat, who recorded a 94.7 grade after notching 1.5 sacks on nine snaps in Monday's contest. Other defensive standouts included defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, linebacker Jack Campbell and defensive tackle DJ Reader.

Safety Erick Hallett II had never played a defensive snap before Monday night. Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard had him, and the defense as a whole, humming.

Detroit Lions have reinforcements coming after the bye at all 3 levels on defense, but still could look to add a pass rusher at NFL trade deadline.

Six Free Press sports writers chime in on whether the Lions can avoid their first losing streak since the 2023 season.

In the brutal, physically demanding world of the NFL, player health is paramount. For the Detroit Lions, the return of their stalwart left tackle, Taylor Decker, for their Monday night game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a welcome sight.

The Lions, however, were missing Pro Bowl defensive back Brian Branch in this one after the 23-year-old was suspended by the NFL for the Bucs game. Branch was penalized for instigating a fight in the aftermath of their loss to the Chiefs, where he threw an open-faced strike on Kansas City wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster’s helmet.

The NFL said it took down a social media post that highlighted Brian Branch's rough game vs. the Chiefs because 'it felt overly critical.'

Coaching matters. And while head coaches get most of the attention, no team is complete without strong coordinators.

The NFL trade deadline is right around the corner on Nov. 4. We know that the Detroit Lions are already making calls looking for an edge rusher. With that in mind, we will be taking a look at each edge rusher that could be available for trade,