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Lions notes: Kyle Van Noy, TJ Jones, more

Lions notes looks at updates on Kyle Van Noy and TJ Jones, the impact Ziggy Ansah made on Sunday's game and much more.

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Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
  • Kyle Van Noy and TJ Jones are now eligible to practice, and it appears that both players could return to practice this week. Van Noy, who is currently on injured reserve with the designation to return, won't be eligible to play until after the Detroit Lions' bye week. Jones, on the other hand, could be activated as soon as he starts practicing, but he will likely remain on the PUP list all season unless an injury opens up a spot at wide receiver.

  • Ziggy Ansah only played 33 snaps on Sunday, but he made a major impact on the game.
  • The Lions are racking up a lot of sacks on third down this season.
  • The Lions ran a very odd play on Sunday that featured Travis Swanson going out for a bubble screen and Larry Warford going downfield as a receiver. Unfortunately, the play didn't work.
  • Why did the Lions use a squib kick on the opening kickoff of Sunday's game? Jim Caldwell explained the decision on Monday:
  • Based on what Nick Fairley told USA Today's Tom Pelissero, it appears that a big part of the Lions' improvement on defense has to do with their preparation leading up to games: "Our preparation is totally different this year by how (coaches) come in and by giving us the stuff on, say, like a guard. They might come in with a whole sheet of his weaknesses to exploit."

  • If only Willie Young had played like this in Detroit:

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