Three takeaways from Lions' win over Redskins

The Detroit Lions beat the Washington Redskins by a score of 27-20 on Sunday. Here are my three main takeaways from the game:

Joique Bell is the real deal

Over the last year, Bell has repeatedly shown that he is talented. Sunday was the first time he started and carried the load at running back for the Lions, though, and he proved that he's more than capable of being a starter in the NFL. In place of Reggie Bush, Bell rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, and he picked up 69 yards receiving on 4 catches. He was a difference maker for the Lions, and Bell should continue to be a big part of the offense even when Bush returns.

Ziggy Ansah is a star in the making

It helps playing alongside Ndamukong Suh and taking advantage of all the pressure he creates, but Ansah has been outstanding in the first three games of the season. On Sunday against the Redskins, he was especially good. Ansah finished with 7 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble. He now has 2.5 sacks on the season, and if not for a pair of strip-sacks being negated by penalties in the first two weeks, he'd be up to 4.5 sacks already. He has been really impressive so far in his young NFL career.

Matthew Stafford is looking like his 2011 self

Stafford went 25 for 42 for 385 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception on Sunday. In total, he's completed 63.6 percent of his passes so far this season, and he's thrown for 1,020 yards, 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He's been much more consistent than he was in 2012 and this year's preseason, and he looks like the quarterback we saw when the Lions went 10-6 and made the playoffs in 2011. Keep it up, Matthew.