Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is easily the harshest critic of the Lions' defensive line play thus far this season.

"In my opinion, we've played very mediocre," he said. "With that, there's a lot of room to improve. To be able to keep winning and still have things to work on, that's a good cooking pot for us."

Suh, an All-Pro and defensive rookie of the year last season, is off to what can be best described as a quietly effective start. He has 11 tackles and two sacks -- far from the torrid pace he set last year when he had 10 sacks. But, in the grand scheme of the defense, he and the rest of the defensive line has kept steady pressure on quarterbacks and been at times overtly disruptive, and other times subtly disruptive.

"Any competitive defensive lineman wants a lot of sacks and it's unfortunate that we are down on our numbers, but we understand we've done some good things," Suh said. "One way to measure us to see the things we've done in the backfield, causing pressure and making quarterbacks loft balls up that lead to interceptions. But by all means, we want to get back to sacking the quarterback."

The Bears Jay Cutler has been sacked 15 times this season, second only to St. Louis' Sam Bradford (18). Last year, in the game at Ford Field, Suh was fined for hitting Cutler with excessive force outside the pocket. He was asked if such a hit might have some carry-over impact on Cutler's psyche.

"I have no idea; you'd have to ask Jay Cutler about that," Suh said. "That's not my concern and it was not the reason for the hit. The reason to hit him hard is to create a play, get him to fumble. He was outside the pocket and it's unfortunate that I got the call."

Teams are emptying the trick box to find ways to neutralize Suh, occasionally with some success. They try to use his penetration against him, either with trap blocks inside, or chipping him with an offensive tackle.

"A lot of teams do that," coach Jim Schwartz said. "They keep a tight end in and bring a tackle down. But every time they keep a tight end in, it's one less guy in the route. Even though that might do a good job stymieing a defensive tackle, without an extra guy in the route it can be counter-productive."

As for the trap blocks, that's a systemic issue.

"We're vulnerable to trap blocks," Schwartz said. "You tell guys to get up field and rush the passer, they're going to be susceptible to the trap. But our linebackers are expected to play that. We don't want our guys slowing down and playing traps. Suh is an instinctive guy. He's seen those things before. If we are getting off the line the way we are supposed to, our linebackers should fill those (gaps) up."

Suh, for the most part, has been able to adjust to whatever teams throw at him. Against Tampa Bay and Kansas City, he used his speed and agility. Against Minnesota and Dallas, he used brute force.

"The great way our defense is set up, when I get penetration, I am doing my job," Suh said. "Even if they knock me off course -- whether they are trapping me from the inside-out, or doing a wham block from the outside-in -- a lot of times I withstand those blows and I still stay in my gap and get my job done."

--So, will the Lions dare kick the ball to Devin Hester? Seems like a bad idea.

Hester is the most productive punt and kickoff returner in NFL history and the Lions' coverage units, beset by injuries and miscues, rank near the bottom of the NFC.

"If you just kick it out of bounds, that's kind of showing weakness," said Stefan Logan, who covers and returns kicks. "But look, he's dangerous. You've got to be smart. Sometimes kicking it out of bounds, that's not a bad move. It's a sign of respect."

Hester returned his 11th career punt for a touchdown last week, pushing him past Eric Metcalf on the all-time list. His 15 total returns for touchdowns are two better than Brian Mitchell. It's a hold-your-breath moment every time his hands are on the ball.

"It's everything," said Lions kicker Jason Hanson on the challenge Hester presents. "If you've been kicking good, you have to kick it great. If you've been covering OK, you have to cover a lot better. It's a special deal. He's amazing. You don't get out of your game plan, but you treat him as a weapon."

The Lions contained Hester fairly well last season. In the season opener in Chicago, he returned five punts for an average of 3.4 yards. He didn't return any kicks. In the second game at Ford Field, he averaged 18.7 yards on three kickoffs and 18.5 on two punts. He did bring one back 30 yards, though.

"He is one of the best of all-time and we haven't played our best as coverage units," coach Jim Schwartz said. "But it's not just the coverage units. It's Donahue and Hanson, their kicks, the placement, the distance and the hang time. All those things are very important to getting him stopped.

"The offense has a lot to do with it, also. If the offense is moving and we are in good field position, you don't need to drive (the punts). You can afford to get it out of bounds or hang it high and not worry about distance. And if the offense is rolling you don't have to punt it much."

Hanson leads the NFC and is second in the NFL with 15 touchbacks. So if the Lions chose to avoid any unnecessary conflict with Hester, they can. But it's not that easy, Hanson explained.

"I can kick it high and deep, but sometimes I will have a real good kick, really high, five yards deep and they will still bring it back," he said. "I can kick it deep, but it's not automatic. They say, 'Just put it through the uprights every time' -- yeah, OK. It's not that easy.

"But if I am kicking well and the conditions are right, I should put it in the back of the end zone to where if they do bring it out, we should punish them."

The coverage teams have lost some key players. Isaiah Ekejiuba is out for the year (shoulder). Rashied Davis, the former Bear and a superb gunner, has missed the last two weeks with a foot injury. He didn't practice on Wednesday. Maurice Stovall, another gunner, was playing with a cast on his right hand. That cast was removed Sunday.

"We are just misfiring a little bit," said Hanson, who has had to make two tackles this season. "When coach says we're not playing our best football, we're a part of that. We've given up a long run in all four games. That shouldn't happen. We feel like we are way better than we're showing."

It may be a little bit personal for Logan. Hester is at the top of a mountain he's fought to climb his whole career.

"I always look forward to playing against the great returners," he said. "I want to show that the Lions have a good returner, too."

SERIES HISTORY
163rd regular-season meeting. Bears lead series, 93-64-5, but the Lions lead at home, 40-39-1. It will be the fourth time the two have met on Monday Night Football and the Lions have won two of the three. The Lions have played a couple of their most memorable games against the Bears. One was the Monday night game in 1981 where Eric Hipple led them to a 48-17 route. And then on Thanksgiving Day 1997, the Lions scored 55 points, the largest output ever against the Bears. Barry Sanders ran for 167 yards and three scores that day. The Bears, though, have won the last six meetings dating back to Oct. 28, 2008.

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