Every week during the regular season Tim Twentyman will answer 10 good questions from his Twitter account @ttwentyman in a feature we call "10 Questions with Twentyman."
20man: The Lions are feeling the loss of James Houston. I know he's more of a pass rush specialist, but there are worse things in the NFL to specialize in than being really good at rushing the passer.
For me one name that comes to mind is defensive lineman Josh Paschal. He was a second-round pick last year and brought in to provide power, push and pass-rush ability from the edge or the interior. He's only played in two games this season because of a knee injury but he's off the injury report now and the Lions need him to wreak more havoc.
20man: I don't know if he's necessarily under a lot of pressure to perform because he's not the No. 1 option in this offense, but I'd like to see a bounce-back game by second-year wide receiver Jameson Williams at home and on a national stage.
I thought it was a rough game for Williams last week failing to secure any of his six targets and not being on the same page with quarterback Jared Goff on Goff's lone interception. If this offense is going to reach its true potential Williams has to play a part. He and Goff have connected once on a deep touchdown, but they've been a little off on the other tries down the field.
Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has to find a way to get the ball in Williams' hands here and there other than just deep shots down the field. They had a swing pass to him last week that went off his fingertips. I'd like to see Williams get the ball in his hands a few times this week and build some confidence.
20man: I don't. I think this coaching staff has a ton of confidence in veteran David Montgomery and that confidence is well founded after Montgomery went for at least 100 rushing yards and a touchdown in back-to-back wins over Green Bay and Carolina before injuring his ribs Week 6 in Tampa Bay. He's a tough, inside-the-tackle runner, who makes people miss and gains positive yards. He fits the scheme well.
Jahmyr Gibbs has shown some nice things when he's had to carry the load a couple times this year and will likely get another opportunity Monday vs. the Raiders. He will continue to be a big part of the passing game, that's never going away, but when both he and Montgomery are healthy and in the lineup the distribution so far in the run game has been heavily skewed toward Montgomery about 4-to-1 in carries. I could see that getting closer to 3-to-1 or maybe 2-to-1 as the season goes on, but unless Gibbs gets hot and they ride that wave I don't see him getting more carries than Montgomery in a game.
20man: They have tried to work him into some shorter routes and in space. When they do it's up to Goff and Williams to connect on them. Williams was open on a short crosser Week 5 vs. Carolina and short armed it seeing a defender closing in. Goff missed him on the swing pass in the flat last week. It's just been a little off between the two to start the year.
Here's what Goff said Thursday when asked about Williams:
"Yeah, just keep working. It's so early in his career and his development. I just keep working, keep working with him, building that trust with him and getting on the same page. He's working his tail off at practice and has done a great job trying to get better every week and I expect to see his development continue.
"I think I'm past that now where I know his speed and we've got a good rapport in that way. But yeah, it's just getting on the same page with everything and again, it's just so early in his career and his development that it's just reps, it's just reps, it's just time and it's a matter of time before everything starts to click for him in our offense."
20man: Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised either way. I've been pretty consistent in my belief this team could benefit from adding depth/talent in the secondary, adding another edge rusher opposite Aidan Hutchinson or maybe if it makes sense adding depth at wide receiver with Marvin Jones Jr. stepping away from the team this week. I think this team can do damage in the NFC and adding a player that can help in that goal makes sense.
I also know GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell are on the same page in terms of not wanting to disrupt the chemistry and culture they've created here. They won't just add a player to add one if it's not a culture fit, and that might limit the pool of players somewhat. It's a fine line, so I really wouldn't be surprised either way.
20man: Different sites count these stats a little different so it's a bit subjective. The Lions lead the NFL in team pressures with 159, per Pro Football Focus. That's one more than Baltimore and five clear of San Francisco for the league lead. Hutchinson is second in the NFL with 43 total pressures behind Maxx Crosby.
A sack does count as a quarterback hit but a player can have a quarterback hit without a sack if he contacts the quarterback at or just after the time he gets rid of the ball. A player can also get a sack but not a hit if the defender runs him out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage without contacting him.
A pressure does include a hit but also includes a sack or a hurry, which is when the quarterback is forced to throw the ball earlier than intended or is chased off his spot and out of the pocket as a result of defensive pressure.
20man: Graham Glasgow has played well this season. Let's give credit where credit is due. He's allowed one sack and just two quarterback hits in six games.
Jackson is the team's most talented guard, however, and I don't expect him back until after the bye week. He's been dealing with a high ankle sprain and I think it's more realistic he can make it back with another two weeks of rest.
20man: I don't know of any plans. I can only speak for myself in saying I think the Lions and Goff should come to an agreement on a long-term contract either at some point in the season or this offseason. I thought it was telling a couple weeks back when Campbell said they needed Goff here. He's playing at a Pro Bowl level and fits the culture here perfectly.
20man: Be careful. Nothing comes easy in this league.
I think offensively this is a dangerous Raiders team. They have the league's leading rusher from a year ago in Josh Jacobs, an All-Pro wide receiver in Davante Adams, a very underrated wide receiver in Jakobi Meyers, who Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn compared to Amon-Ra St. Brown, a first-round draft pick at tight end and a quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo who is 3-2 this year in games he's started and has a career 43-19 record.
If some of the same issues that arose defensively last week in Baltimore appear again Monday night this can quickly become a track meet and those are dangerous games.
20man: During the season we only get to see the individual portion of practice and there really isn't much to glean from that other than counting bodies and tracking injuries. That being said, Bridgewater is a professional and Campbell has all the confidence in the world that if his number is called, he'll step in, play well and fill the void. I wouldn't expect the offensive scheme or play calling to change at all with Bridgewater in there.
The last time Bridgewater was asked to play significant minutes was in Denver in 2021, and he led the Broncos to a 7-7 record in his starts and completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 3,052 yards with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions and a 94.9 rating. Bridgewater went 5-0 in New Orleans in 2019 when filling in for an injured Drew Brees. The Lions are in a good spot in the quarterback room.
