Sunday's Week 6 game between the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers was originally a 1 p.m. ET time start. But in recognition of the Lions (4-1) leading the NFC North and the Buccaneers (3-1) leading the NFC South the game was bumped to 4:25 p.m. ET, and it's safe to assume a wider audience that originally planned will see the game.
The Lions seem to add to their injury list after every game, and practically on a daily basis. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (torn right ACL) and running back Zonovan Knight (left shoulder) are out for the season after being injured in Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers. Others (Jahmyr Gibbs, Brian Branch, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jonah Jackson) may or may not be available for Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Here is Friday's injury Week 6 report for the Lions, with designations for Sunday's game.
DB Brian Branch (ankle)-Out
RB Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring)-Out
OG Jonah Jackson (ankle)-Out
CB Emmanuel Moseley (knee)-Out
RB Zonovan Knight (shoulder)-Out
TE James Mitchell (hamstring)-Out
DL Josh Paschal (knee)-Out
TE Sam LaPorta (calf)-Questionable
CB Khalil Dorsey (illness)-Questionable
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (abdomen)-No designation
OT Taylor Decker (ankle)-No designation
C Frank Ragnow (toe)-No designation
QB Teddy Bridgewater (personal)-No designation
Lions Friday practice report with game designations for Sunday: pic.twitter.com/o68CtX1Qrv
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) October 13, 2023
Gibbs and Branch will both miss their second game in a row, and neither appeared especially close to playing this week. Craig Reynolds will the primary backup to David Montgomery on Sunday. Will Harris will presumably fill in for Branch again at slot corner.
LaPorta popped up on Thursday's practice report with a calf injury, which Dan Campbell called as strain. After Friday's practice, the rookie tight end said he plans to play on Sunday.
Jackson was seen leaving the locker room last Sunday in a walking boot, and he's out this week.. Friday morning, Dan Campbell addressed how the Lions might replace their starting left guard on Sunday.
“We’ve got guys in this building we trust,” “(Halapoulivaati) Vaitai’s had a pretty good week of practice. Certainly, we know what Graham (Glasgow) brings to the table for us. (Kayode Awosika) Yode’s gotten better. So, I mean we’ve got options. (Dan Skipper) Skip’s back, ready to go. So, we’ve got a couple different scenarios, situations that we can go through here and we’ve kind of rolled through them so, we feel good though.”
Reports this week point to Moseley (torn right ACL) and Knight (left shoulder) being done for the season. But the Lions have not made either official yet, leaving the number of players listed as out for Sunday's game looking a little inflated.
The 21-day clock for Paschal to be put on the active roster, as he comes off IR, was started on Friday.
On the bright side, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has no injury designation and he's good to go for Sunday's game. Same for left tackle Taylor Decker.
And here is Friday's Week 6 injury report for the Buccaneers.
OLB Shaquil Barrett (illness) –Questionable.
WR Mike Evans ( hamstring)-No designation
LB Lavonte David (rest) – No designation
CB Jamel Dean (neck/shoulder) –No designation
LB SirVocea Dennis (hamstring) –No designation
OT Luke Goedeke (calf) –No designation
DL Calijah Kancey (calf) –No designation
S Ryan Neal (concussion) –No designation
OLB Anthony Nelson (concussion) –No designation
CB Derrek Pitts (hamstring) –No designation
LB Devin White (foot) –No designation