For the first time this season, the Lions had more than one starter miss a game Monday night.

Starting outside linebacker Justin Durant missed his second consecutive game with concussion-like symptoms and safety Amari Spievey couldn't go because of a sore hamstring.

"I did some contact drills (before the game) and it kind of flared up a little bit -- kind of a headache," Durant said Wednesday. "It wasn't a full concussion, just a headache, but I kind of set myself back."

Durant will be further evaluated on Thursday and will have to be cleared by an independent doctor before he returns to the practice field.

Spievey was limited during the Lions walk-through practice Wednesday and his availability for Sunday is still in doubt.

PLAYER NOTES

--LB Bobby Carpenter could be in line for his third consecutive start if Justin Durant isn't cleared from concussion-like symptoms. Carpenter had three tackles and two tackles for loss against the Bears, but was beaten by Bears tight end Kellen Davis for their only touchdown.

--S John Wendling had three tackles against the Bears Monday and played well in coverage as he made his first career start in place of the injured Amari Spievey. Wendling, a special-team ace, proved he can play defense, too.

--DT Nick Fairley played in his first NFL game Monday after breaking his foot Aug. 1. Fairley said after the game that he was a little nervous and played "OK" but expects to play much better on Sunday now that the nerves are out of the way. Fairley was one of nine defensive lineman on the Lions' 46-man game roster.

--OLB DeAndre Levy had a career-high 13 tackles against the Bears. He said Wednesday that he's getting more and more comfortable on the outside after playing in the middle last season. Levy played outside his rookie year in 2009 but said there was still an adjustment period at the beginning of this year.

--WR Titus Young is third among NFC rookies with 195 receiving yards. He has 14 catches and is averaging 13.9 yards as he continues to be a bigger part of the offense each week.

INJURY IMPACT

--CB Aaron Berry (groin) did not participate in the Lions' walk-through practice on Wednesday. The team's starting nickel corner played through the injury Monday night, so it shouldn't be a big issue unless he aggravated it further.

--TE Tony Scheffler (concussion) left Monday's game and did not return after being hit in the neck by Bears LB Brian Urlacher. Scheffler is in the same boat as Justin Durant in that he'll have to pass a concussion test to return to the field. The Lions would have confidence in reserve tight end Will Heller if Scheffler can't play.

--S Vincent Fuller (elbow) looked stiff in the locker room Wednesday. He was certainly favoring his right elbow and had it heavily wrapped. He was just added to the roster last week and was a limited participant on the injury report Wednesday. That leaves John Wendling as the team's only healthy safety.

--DE Cliff Avril (elbow) was limited in practice. Avril played the entire game Monday and Wednesday was probably just a precaution. He should be ready for practice Thursday.

--LB Doug Hogue (hamstring) is a new face to the injury report. The rookie linebacker was recently added to the 53-man roster from the practice squad after the Lions lost LB Isaiah Ekejiuba to a season-ending shoulder injury a couple weeks ago. Hogue has played well on special teams.

GAME PLAN
Coach Jim Schwartz said the 49ers' 3-4 defense is very similar to the Packers' 3-4 scheme the Lions face twice every season. He raved about their front seven and called their secondary aggressive.

The last time the Lions faced the Packers last season they attacked it with 41 rushing attempts for 190 yards. Part of that was due to the fact that backup quarterback Drew Stanton was starting, but the game plan for the Lions against the 49ers will certainly be similar in that they'll try to establish a run game early on.

The Lions consider quick, short passes an extension of their run game, too, and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan has been calling more and more of those types of plays over the last few weeks.

On defense, not much changes from week-to-week for the Lions. The front four is going to attack the quarterback and rely on the back seven to clean up any draws or screens, which they did a terrific job of against the Bears.

The corners are playing more man-to-man coverage than in years past and that's allowing defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham to be creative in his calls.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH
Lions WR Calvin Johnson, who leads the NFL with nine touchdown receptions, vs. 49ers CB Carlos Rogers, who ranks first in the NFL with three interceptions: The 49ers play a lot of zone coverage but expect Rogers to keep a close eye on Johnson and have him when they do man-up. Johnson is averaging 15.6 yards per catch and is certainly Stafford's first option when looking downfield. Rogers is one of the best corners in the league at playing the ball, making this an interesting matchup.

--49ers WR/KR Ted Ginn, who became the first player in franchise history to return a kickoff and punt for a touchdown in a single game, vs. Lions coverage units that swallowed up the Bears' Devin Hester: Hester returned four kicks for 84 yards and one punt for one yard against the Lions Monday. The Lions' coverage units struggled the first three weeks of the season, ranking 29th in kickoff coverage and 27th in punt coverage. But over the last two weeks against the Cowboys and Bears they've been terrific.

--Lions T Jeff Backus, who has started 165 straight games at left tackle for the Lions, vs. 49ers rookie OLB Aldon Smith, who leads the team with 3.5 sacks on the season: Smith doesn't start for the 49ers but when he's in the game, you know he's coming after the quarterback. He had a two-sack performance against the Buccaneers last week and is one of the league's bright, young pass rushers. The Lions have given up only six sacks this season, the third fewest in the league. Backus has faced Cowboys OLB DeMarcus Ware and Bears DE Julius Peppers in consecutive weeks and has only allowed a half sack to Ware.

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