Amon-Ra St. Brown doing "better," but misses another day of practice

After a devastating Thanksgiving holiday and weekend for the Detroit Lions, fans are desperately trying to find anything that could give them hope during the final stretch. Such as the news that wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown's Thanksgiving ankle injury isn't as bad as it initially seemed.

St. Brown injured his ankle during the Lions' first drive of their 31-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers, and did not return. The following day, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that MRI tests revealed St. Brown suffered from a low-ankle sprain and that he could miss up to two weeks.

Still, the door is open for St. Brown to play on Thursday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys. How wide is that door open? After missing a second day of practice, possibly not as wide as Lions fans are hoping. Head coach Dan Campbell spoke with the media on Tuesday and provided the latest update on St. Brown's status:

"He's better. He's better. That's the best way to say it. But I don't see him practicing today, you know, but he is better. So, I know this, but if he can play, if he can play, he will play. That's the best way to say it."

Lions senior writer and insider Tim Twentyman asked St. Brown directly about his status. The WR echoed Campbell's sentiment that his ankle is getting better, but his status for Thursday "will depend on if he feels he can stop and cut like he needs to."

It shouldn't come as a surprise St. Brown has yet to be ruled out. Thursday is a huge game against the Cowboys, who are directly competing with the Lions for a Wild Card spot in a highly competitive race. If the Cowboys were to surge past the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC East lead, the Eagles would already have a tiebreaker over the Lions for a Wild Card spot, thanks to their head-to-head victory. A loss here, and the Lions' best path to the playoffs may be the NFC North title, thanks to a potential tiebreaker over the conference-leading Chicago Bears.

Kalif Raymond set to miss Thursday's game

While Campbell expressed some optimism that St. Brown could play, he was very direct on the status of WR and returner Kalif Raymond. When asked about Raymond's status, Campbell threw his hands up, shook his head, and said, "Yeah, I mean, he's getting better, but I don't see him this week."

Like St. Brown, Raymond is also dealing with an ankle injury. Raymond suffered his injury during the Week 12 game against the New York Giants. The All-Pro returner and reliable WR missed the Thanksgiving game against the Packers and will now miss Thursday against the Cowboys. WR Tom Kennedy will likely take on returning duties again, and he looked good in his limited opportunities on Thanksgiving.

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With Raymond out and St. Brown questionable, eyes will be on the remaining WR group. Jameson Williams had a big day on Thanksgiving, totaling 144 receiving yards and a touchdown. Rookie Isaac TeSlaa also had a big day, by his standards, hauling in a career-high two receptions for 35 yards, along with his third career TD. Fans have been clamoring to see more of these two all season, and even if St. Brown does play, they should expect Williams and TeSlaa to get ample opportunities on Thursday.

If this were early in the season, St. Brown would've already been ruled out for Thursday, and maybe for next week, too. With five games to go, it's desperate times, and no one is more desperate to salvage their season right now than the Lions. Whether St. Brown plays or not, it's time for the team to live up to their mantra and grit through it, or accept the lost season.