Jeff Backus has caught some undeserved flack in recent weeks. Admittedly, the Lions' left tackle has struggled since suffering a rib injury in warmups before the Philadelphia game. He gave up two sacks against the Eagles before leaving in the third quarter, and allowed a key safety in the Lions' last game Oct. 7 at Washington.

But tight end Courtney Anderson was more detrimental to the Washington loss than Backus. Inexplicably, Anderson, who took over after Sean McHugh broke his hand in the second quarter, was left one-on-one with Redskin defensive ends several times during the game, and he committed two false-start penalties in the second half.

Offensive coordinator Mike Martz said Backus "was playing at a Pro Bowl level" before he got hurt. I don't know if I'd go that far — really, who's Pro Bowl caliber after two games? — but he has received an unfair share of criticism for the Lions' recent struggles.

Backus said he's back at close to 100 percent, and the results should be evident this week against Tampa Bay (4-2).

"He's a prideful guy and a competitive guy and I think that he does not want to feel like, because he's nicked, that it's going to affect his performance," Martz said. "It's hard for him, but he's back and we feel real good about where he is right now."