ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford and rookie tight end Eric Ebron, the team's first-round draft pick, are scrutinized almost on a weekly basis, even when the Lions are winning.
That was again the case following Sunday's 20-14 victory at Chicago when Stafford threw two interceptions in the red zone and ended up a lowly 53.7 quarterback rating, and Ebron didn't catch a pass.
Coach Jim Caldwell was asked about the performance of both and he gave rather strong endorsements in each case.
Of Stafford, Caldwell said, "I think there's a lack of appreciation for him around here at times (among fans and media). Let me tell you something. He's a man's man. He's a tough guy. He gets hit out there every single ballgame. He hangs in there. There may be one (pass) he'd like to have back, but then there's one other that's probably not all his fault. He also did a lot of great things. I'm proud of the way that guy's playing."
Ebron, selected 10th overall, has been widely viewed as a disappointment because he has just 23 receptions and one touchdown.
Caldwell, however, pointed to Ebron's improvement in less glamorous ways.
"Did you watch him block this weekend?" Caldwell said. "He was effective, tough, hard-nosed, did a lot of good things.
"He might not have caught passes and run down the field, but he's progressing. We can see it. I think you'll be able to see it as well."
PLAYOFF SCENARIOS
--- With a victory Sunday (4:25 p.m. on FOX), the Lions will win their first division title in 21 years and receive an opening-round bye in the playoffs as one of the NFC's top two seeds. They would be the No. 1 seed if Seattle (vs. St. Louis) and Arizona (at San Francisco) both lose and/or tie. The Lions would be the No. 2 seed if either Seattle or Arizona wins.
--- If the Lions lose Sunday, they'll be a wildcard team and end up as the No. 6 seed with an opening-round playoff game on the road against the No. 3 seed, quite possibly in Dallas.
--- If the Detroit-Green Bay game ends in a tie, the Lions would still be the division champs based on their previous victory over the Packers, but they could fall to the No. 3 seed and host an opening-round game the following weekend against a wildcard team.
EXTRA POINTS
--- Caldwell was extremely pleased with Reggie Bush averaging 7.7 yards per carry and Joique Bell averaging 5.7 yards on the ground.
"This time of year, you need a running game because the weather dictates such," Caldwell said.
The forecast for Sunday in Green Bay, according to Weather.com, is a high of 19 degrees, low of 15 degrees, mostly sunny and winds around 7 mph.
"I do think that's one area we showed some improvement," Caldwell said of the run game. "I think it's because of the fact (Bush is) healthy, Joique's healthy, the line was blocking well, the tight ends, the backs that had to do their duties in that area did a nice job, Matt did a nice job getting us checked into the proper plays as well."
--- The Lions have probably run out of opponents that they can beat playing the way they have the last couple weeks.
"Anytime you turn the ball over that many times (three in the first half at Chicago), you deserve to get beat," he said. "We didn't. We were fortunate.
"There's not been one game all year long that I've been satisfied with. I think that's the way we have to be in our business."
At the same time, Caldwell thinks any win in this league should be appreciated, at least briefly, whether it's pretty or not.
"To get 11 victories, I don't care how you get them," he said.
