The duo that gets the most attention for the Detroit Lions is the running back tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, and rightfully so, they are the best in the business right now.
But Detroit has another duo in defensive tackles Alim McNeill and DJ Reader that also might arguably be the best tandem at their respective position in the NFL.
And with Detroit cycling through as many edge rushers as they have and dealing with so many injuries along their defensive front in general, the availability and steady play of those two in the middle has been huge for Detroit's defense.
Reader recorded two huge sacks against the Bears to go along with four total tackles, three quarterback hits and two tackles for loss. Thursday tied his single-game career high in sacks and are his most in a game since the 2018 season. He's Detroit's first interior defensive lineman to produce three quarterback hits and 2.0 sacks in a game at Ford Field since Ndamukong Suh vs. Chicago in 2013.
McNeill had a tackle for loss, multiple pressures and forced an illegal hands to the face penalty late in the contest that proved critical in Detroit's victory.
Detroit's also been one of the best run defending teams in the NFL this season and that starts with Reader and McNeill. Chicago rushed for just 78 yards Thursday.
That duo is fun to watch and their importance to this defense can't be overstated.
INJURY UPDATES
The injuries started to pile up for the Lions even before kickoff Thursday. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley was a late scratch after an undisclosed injury popped up in warmups and he was put on the inactive list.
From there, things got worse for Detroit.
Defensive linemen Josh Paschal (knee) and Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring) left the game in the first half and didn't return, though they aren't feared to be long-term injuries. Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez injured his knee in the second half and that's the one head coach Dan Campbell was most worried about after the game.
"Look, I'll be honest with you, I think Rodrigo is the one that could be the worst," he said. "And I don't know how significant it'll be just yet, but he's the one I fear a little bit, could be down."
APPOLOGY ACCEPTED
Wide receiver Jameson Williams had some terrific plays Thursday, including hurdling a defender to the awe of the Ford Field faithful, but he also had a bad penalty in the fourth quarter called for taunting with the Lions driving in Chicago territory with a chance to increase a 23-13 lead.
The penalty followed a catch by him at the Chicago 29 and pushed the Lions back to the 44 on a drive that eventually ended with kicker Jake Bates' first missed field goal of the season.
"Yeah, and look, I'll be honest with you, that's already cleaned up," Campbell said. "It's already cleaned up. So, we're good. And as a matter of fact, Jamo got right in front of the team a minute ago, unsolicited, and wanted to apologize to his teammates. That's big, that's growth. So, all good."
