After playing on Thanksgiving Day like they usually do, the Detroit Lions have a normal week between games before taking on the Green Bay Packers Thursday night to open Week 14. As as become the unfortunate norm, the list of injured Lions was added to during the holiday win over the Chicago Bears, totally on the defensive side of the ball.
Tuesday's practice report, effectively a Thursday practice in what would be a normal week with a Sunday game, was not promising for the Lions having four key lineman available Thursday night against the Packers. Head coach Dan Campbell's comments before Tuesday's practice backed up what the practice report confirmed.
Wednesday's final injury report was sure to conform the inevitable.
Here is the final Week 14 injury report for the Lions, with statuses for Thursday night's game.
- OT Taylor Decker (knee)-Out
- DL Josh Paschal (knee)-Out
- DL Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring)-Out
- DT DJ Reader (shoulder)-Out
- CB Carlton Davis (knee)-No designation
- CB Emmanuel Moseley (hamstring)-No designation
Decker was injured in Week 12 against the Indianapolis Colts, and despite coming back into that game the short week before the Thanksgiving game made it challenge for him to suit up. The typical space between games did not improve things, and the Lions' left tackle will miss his third game in the last five.
Dan Skipper is in line to start at left tackle on Thursday night.
Campbell was never very optimistic about the chances Paschal and Onwuzurike would play against the Packers after each was injured on Thanksgiving, so it's no surprise both will be out.
Reader clearly suffered a left shoulder injury against the Bears, but he did not miss much time before returning and Campbell had no subsequent comments in the days immediately after the game. His presence on Monday's practice report should not have been too surprising though, and after not practicing all week he's out for Thursday night.
With all the defensive line injuries, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Pat O'Connor and Brodric Martin are line for prominent roles on Thursday night, with Jonah Williams and/or Myles Adams as possible practice squad elevations.
There is one big positive on the injury front for the Lions. Davis will play after missing the Thanksgiving Day game due to a knee injury he suffered against the Colts. He's also no longer listed with the broken thumb he had been playing with previously.
Moseley was held out last week, mostly as a precaution given his recent injury history, and he is good to go for Thursday night as well.
Here is the final Week 14 injury report for the Packers.
- CB Jaire Alexander (knee)-Out
- CB Corey Ballentine (knee)-Out
- WR Romeo Doubs (concussion)-Out
- LB Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring)-Out
- RB Josh Jacobs (calf)-No designation
- DL Kenny Clark (NIR-rest)-No designation
- OG/OT Elgton Jenkins (knee)-No designation
- C/OG Josh Myers (pectoral)-No designation
- OT Rasheed Walker (knee)-No designation
- LB Isaiah McDuffie (ankle)-No designation
- DL Colby Wooden (shoulder)-No designation
- TE John FitzPatrick (back)-No designation