Notes: Lions defense offers peek into plan of attack against Matthew Stafford

This week, The Detroit Lions defense is tasked with thwarting a Matthew Stafford-led offense firing on all cylinders as Detroit heads to Los Angeles to take on the Rams.

This undoubtedly is a daunting task as Stafford is just surrounded by offensive weapons. Several members of the defense had a chance to speak with the media this week. Here’s a look at what some of them had to say on how they play to execute the tall order of keeping the Lions in the game come Sunday.

Outside linebacker Trey Flowers:

“Obviously (Stafford) is a great quarterback. They got great weapons. Doing our part is getting after him a little bit — just rushing smart. I think you’re rushing aware... He’s smart and he’s a vet, so he understands where his escape routes are and where he has to step up to to be comfortable. We’ve got to understand that and rush accordingly.”

Outside linebacker Austin Bryant:

“We gotta get after (him) — you cannot give this guy a lot of time to throw the ball because as y’all have seen for the past — what, 12 - 13 years — (he) threaded people. In my opinion, he’s one of the best in this league. He’s the toughest, great competitor, and he can thread you up man, put it wherever you want. So we gotta get after him, we can’t give him a lot of time. We gotta touch him and make him feel uncomfortable.”

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn:

“There’s a lot of things that (the Rams) continue to do that’s just a part of who (Sean McVay) is. I think the one thing that has changed is there are way more drop back passes with Stafford than there was with Goff for whatever reason — that’s McVay’s decision — but you see him allow him to get in shotgun and be able to just go out there and wing it around. That’s the one thing to me that kind of stands out.”

And onto your notes.

• An interesting piece from Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr on how coaches have changed the way they explain fourth-down conversion attempts — that it’s about trusting their players. Dan Campbell is among the coaches who have gone for it the most.

• The NFL is focusing on cancer screening awareness as part of the Crucial Catch, including members of our own Lions community who have been impacted by cancer.

• This year marks the 50th anniversary of a difficult time in NFL history — Detroit Lions receiver Chuck Hughes became the only man to die in an NFL game to this day.

• CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco offers his picks of the week and surprisingly, he thinks the Lions will keep it close against the Rams.

• Also from CBS Sports, the Lions made a list of 12 teams likely to make a quarterback move in 2022. “No one will be hotter to draft a QB than the Lions.”

• Sights and sounds from the Bengals game: