Lions vs. Jets Week 3 tracker: Injury updates, prediction, storylines, and more

The Detroit Lions and New York Jets face off with another in Week 3, as the Lions get to go home and host former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

Both teams are in very different spots this season - New York is looking to slightly improve on their 3-14 finish in 2025, but not too much to the point where they fully compromise their ability to draft a quarterback atop next year's draft. Still, they want to look good, not great, which should make for a competitive game.

Detroit, on the other hand, needs to pick things up on both sides of the ball after a 1-1 start to the year. Their offense has been taking long to get going in games, leaving them to have to climb out of self-inflicted holes; on defense, we know the story. They're allowing far too many explosive plays and yards in the air, and are generally non-impactful so far in the air.

Can they change their fortune on that end of the ball against New York? That's one of a few storylines to follow headed into this game, in addition to some key injuries and predictions.

1. How to watch Lions vs. Jets in Week 3
2. Lions vs. Jets injury updates
3. Storylines to watch for Lions in Week 3
4. Prediction

Last updated: Thursday, September 24, 4:15pm EST

How to watch Lions vs. Jets in Week 3

• Date: Sunday, September 27
• Time: 1pm EST
• TV Network: FOX Sports, Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV
• Announcers: Adam Amin, Drew Brees

Lions vs. Jets injury updates

Lions injuries

Jets injuries

Both teams are dealing with a few key injuries, with the most concerning for the Lions being to Thomas Harper and Ben Bartch. Both have become key depth pieces for Detroit amid an already injury-riddled season, so missing them in this game could make things complicated.

As for the Jets, Minkah Fitzpatrick and David Bailey popping up on the injury report should be of concern to New York fans. However, Bailey had a full practice, and it's likely he suits up against the Lions. AD Mitchell popped up on the Jets' report on Thursday with a finger injury. He's their second-leading receiver in yards (123).

Storylines to watch for Lions in Week 3

Kelvin Sheppard's defense has to show out

Sheppard spent over five minutes on Thursday discussing what he feels has gone right and wrong with the Lions' defense so far this season. His biggest point of emphasis, it seems, was that he and the unit were clearly not on the same page through two contests. The lack of any resistance from their secondary, in addition to their clear exhaustion on their defensive front, has led to an obvious step back for the unit.

This is going to be a big game for Sheppard, especially while up against a former Lions DC who had success with their unit. Managing to bounce back with takeaways and stopping the Jets' run game - two prominent points that Sheppard wanted to hammer in during his talk on Thursday - would do wonders for his perception amongst Lions fans. And, of course, it'd do wonders for the confidence of their defense overall.

If he can't lead the unit to either of these goals against the Jets, it should lead to some uncomfortable conversations about changes made somewhere on defense - on the roster, in their starting lineup, or on their coaching staff.

Jameson Williams has to get going

The Lions' WR2 has had a quiet start to the season - just six receptions for 78 yards, and no touchdowns. The speedy target hasn't been able to get involved in Drew Petzing's offense, but it doesn't feel like that's by design by any means. He's had 13 targets on the year, but it feels like it could be more if Detroit's offensive line could pass block more consistently and effectively.

Goff recently told reporters of the lack of receptions for Williams:

"For me, it's not hard. For Drew (Petzing), that's a challenge every week. I'm just trying to throw it to the open guy, and our guys know that. I'm lucky our guys don't have egos in that way. Of course they want the ball, (but) they just want to win. Winning is so much more important to those guys and that makes my job a whole lot easier. It's just throw it to the open guy. At the same time, certainly we want to get the ball to Jameson (Williams) more, get the ball to (Isaac) TeSlaa more, (Jahmyr) Gibbs will get his touches, but I think those guys have played well."

New York has one of the best defenses in the NFL through two weeks, so it might be hard to get him his open looks in this contest. However, assuming the Lions struggle to get Jahmyr Gibbs going against the Jets' elite run stopping, Williams could be in line for some desperation targets.

Scheme mismatch for the Lions

Detroit has been heavily reliant on zone coverage this season, and that has bitten them. They've been unable to protect themselves from chunk plays found in short yardage passing situations, and that's further exposed a weak start from their linebacker unit and their safety unit.

The Jets love to whittle teams down this season with shorter passes that can be exploited for larger gains, and that feels like quite a mismatch schematically for Sheppard to have to navigate.

However, there's a great chance that the Lions have a fired-up Jack Campbell in this game, as he's coming off a rare stinker in Week 2. In addition to help from him, a fresh face in the safety room, Bishop Fitzgerald, could help the Lions actually be more effective in zone coverage.

Prediction

The Lions will win against the Jets by the skin of their teeth. We're talking about a top offense grinding against a top defense, while New York's offense may or may not continue to struggled against the Lions' bottom-tier defense. We're banking on the Lions' offense managing to eek one out for Detroit.

Additionally, the Lions are playing at Ford Field. They'll have the confidence of playing in front of their home crowd, and the desire to prove that they don't need help from Glenn to get a victory.

A final score of 21-14 feels good for this game.

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