The Detroit Lions are backing benched safety Amari Spievey and from the sounds of things he’ll be back in his starting role when the team plays on Thursday against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field.

Spievey got the hook midway through the second quarter when he was replaced by newcomer Chris Harris, who was claimed off waivers from the Chicago Bears last week. Spievey had missed two tackles allowing big runs for Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Harris helped seal the victory with an interception in the fourth quarter.

“I missed two tackles and they pulled me out. I don’t know how they're feeling or whatever,” Spievey said. “I guess I'm not allowed to miss tackles."

Lions coach Jim Schwartz threw support behind Spievey though.

“We still have a lot of confidence in Amari,” Schwartz said.

The guess here is that with Harris there long enough to have a feel for the defense, the coaching staff looked at Spievey’s errors as a chance to see what the newcomer could do. It gets Harris’ feet wet in the event he’s needed moving forward.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune