The Detroit Lions are set to clash with the Kansas City Chiefs during Sunday Night Football in Week 6, and they're once again on the road. The team is seeking to secure their fifth win in a row to bring them to 5-1, while the Chiefs are looking to stabilize after a wonky start to their 2025 season.
Of course, it wouldn't be a key Lions matchup without some major injury news and a lengthy inactive list ahead of the game. Detroit isn't exactly as downtrodden as they were last season, with several season-ending injuries completely stopping them in their contending tracks.
There are a lot of ticky-tacky, week to week injuries the Lions are managing that just happen to be flaring up during a tough portion of their schedule.
Lions inactive list is as long as a CVS receipt ahead of Week 6 matchup vs. Chiefs
Here is the Lions' inactive list, courtesy the team:
Player | Injury |
|---|---|
Terrion Arnold | Shoulder |
Taylor Decker | Shoulder |
Zach Cunningham | Hamstring |
Avonte Maddox | Hamstring |
Loren Strickland | N/A |
Sione Vaki | Groin |
Mekhi Wingo | N/A |
Detroit knew they were headed into this game without Arnold, who went from being out for the year to a player that just needed a few weeks to recover from his shoulder injury suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals. Decker, who also missed the Lions' game against the Bengals in Week 5, is out once again as his shoulder injury is beginning to sound a bit more serious.
Fans are still looking out for Alim McNeill's debut, which sounds like it's coming in Week 7 instead of against the Chiefs in primetime. Detroit is sorely missing health in their secondary, even with Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph playing. Both safeties were questionable headed into this contest, putting their health into question.
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As for the Chiefs, here's their very short inactive list headed into the game:
Our inactives for tonight's Week 6 matchup against the Lions ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/vXcXtFVqPn
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 12, 2025
Kansas City is suddenly without their starting tackle in Josh Simmons, which bodes even better for Detroit's improved pass rush as of late. Jaylon Moore is set to make his first start of the season for the Chiefs as a result.
The huge question mark for this Detroit team is whether their offense combined with their pass rush can make enough noise to make up for their lack at cornerback. Defending against Patrick Mahomes' passing game is difficult as it is, so going into this contest with no Arnold makes things even murkier.