The Lions have their second-straight, standalone national TV showcase this week. This time, it’s on Monday night against the Tampa Bay Bucs who boast the best record in the NFC at 5-1.
With such a big game, you know the NFL official in the New York control center bunker will again be watching… and maybe pulling some control levers like with last week’s illegal motion call on Jared Goff.
The Lions might be starting to feel like the ever-watched Truman Burbank in The Truman Show (spoiler alert).
“I have been watching you your whole life. I was watching when you were born. I was watching when you took your first step.”
Also watching the game from outside the stadium will be Brian Branch, who is serving out his 1-game suspension. Or maybe instead of watching the game, Branch will get himself galvanized by watching on a loop the hit piece posted (and then deleted) by NFL Films.
If the Lions needed a rallying point for the rest of the season, the NFL delivered it. The players certainly took notice.
But that’s not all. A couple days later, the NFL send out a punch-out warning to all teams using Jack Campbell as an example.
Expect the Lions to invoke the Michael Jordan “and I took that personally” meme on Monday Night Football. Unfortunately, the top four members of the secondary will not be available this game to “take that personally”. The Bucs will look to take advantage despite hurting at the skill positions and with key losses on both lines.
Trends
- The Lions got an expected upgrade over the week with DJ Reader, and an unexpected brief upgrade with Terrion Arnold who will still be out.
- The Bucs saw key upgrades with Mike Evans, Lavonte David, and Emeka Egbuka.
Lions starters out
- Out: Kerby Joseph, S
- Out: Brian Branch, S
- Out: DJ Reed, CB
- Out: Terrion Arnold, CB
- Out: Marcus Davenport, EDGE
- Possibly out: DJ Reader, DT
- Likely in: Taylor Decker, OT
- Likely in: Alim McNeill, DT
(NP – no practice, LP – limited practice, FP – full practice)
DETROIT LIONS
OUT – Kerby Joseph, S (left knee) starter
While it would be nice to have Joseph on the field with Branch out, sitting him seems like the smart move after watching him struggle to even walk last game.
It’s possible he had a PCL sprain 2 weeks ago, so the 3 weeks of rest before the next game may be enough for it to heal up.
OUT – Terrion Arnold, CB (right shoulder) starter
His appearance at Friday’s practice was a nice surprise. Word is that Arnold is targeting a return after the bye. That would be an excellent outcome as he will have only missed 2 games.
OUT – Avonte Maddox, CB/S (hamstring)
Maddox presumably hurt his hamstring in practice last Thursday. He should have a good chance of returning after the bye.
OUT – Sione Vaki, RB (groin)
Vaki will miss his 4th straight game. Why was he not put on IR initially? Because the recovery time of injuries is not an exact science, and an aggravation is always possible. The groin is a complex area and can include core muscle injuries that sometimes require surgery.
QUESTIONABLE – DJ Reader, DT (back) starter
The 2 LP’s to finish out the week reassures that the back issue is nothing serious even if he misses this game. Taking an occasional game off during the long season is probably a good thing for this 31-year-old who has a history of 2 quad tendon tears.
QUESTIONABLE – Taylor Decker, OT (shoulder) starter
Based on Dan Campbell’s comments in his press conference on Saturday, Decker is “trending” to play. He has missed the last 2 games. His return would free up Dan Skipper to resume his role as the “eligible receiver”.
QUESTIONABLE – Alim McNeill, DT (ACL) starter
The Bucs game is day 20 of his 21-day practice window, and all signs point towards McNeill playing. If he does play, that would mean an ACL recovery of just over 10 months (Dec 15, 2024) which is a very nice outcome. Keep in mind that it will likely take him some time – maybe even the rest of this season – to get back to his former self.
IN – Zach Cunningham, LB (hamstring)
Cunningham has missed the last 3 games, but he’s ready to go now.
IN – Kalif Raymond, WR (personal)
The “in” designation is hopefully a sign that the personal issue isn’t anything serious.
Notables unlisted
- Brian Branch will miss 1 game due to his suspension.
PUP/NFI – Can start 21 day practice window anytime
- Malcolm Rodriguez, LB (ACL) – His ACL tear on November 28, 2024 was 2 weeks earlier than McNeill’s. However, Rodriguez may have had a follow-up clean-up procedure which delayed his return. There are signals that he may start practicing after the bye.
- Miles Frazier, OG (knee) – An offseason knee issue caused him to miss all of training camp. On September 29, Dan Campbell stated: “He’s progressing, not as fast as we’d hoped…. It’s not as clear as Mahogany was last year.” Last season, Mahogany (mono) had his window open on October 8 and saw his first action on November 24. That means Frazier might not start practicing until November.
- Josh Paschal, EDGE (unspecified cleanup surgery) – He is on NFI which potentially complicates things. On October 1, Dan Campbell gave this lukewarm update: “He’s improving, but he’s not ready yet.” Maybe we’ll see him start to practice in November.
IR (injured reserve) – eligible to return this season
(Rules recap: There is no limit to the number of players that can be placed on IR. Must stay on IR for minimum 4 games. Only 8 are allowed to return during regular season plus bonus 2 for the playoffs. Last season, Lions used 7 returns during regular season and 1 during playoffs.)
Eligible return dates:
- Week 7 vs Bucs (current): Marcus Davenport, Shane Zylstra
- Week 8 (bye)
- Week 9 vs Vikings (Nov 2): Daniel Thomas
- Week 10 vs Commanders (Nov 9): DJ Reed
- Week 11 vs Eagles (Nov 16): Khalil Dorsey, Giovanni Manu
- Week 12 vs Giants (Nov 23):
IR returns: None so far
IR players:
- Giovanni Manu, OT (knee, Oct 9) – Presumably hurt himself in practice. No details here.
- Khalil Dorsey, CB (wrist, Oct 3) – There are no details on this injury.
- DJ Reed, CB (left hamstring, Sep 28) – Expect him back around Week 10 which will be 6 weeks post-injury.
- Daniel Thomas, S (forearm fracture, Sep 22) – The fracture recovery will likely take around 2 months. Expect him back around Week 12.
- Marcus Davenport, EDGE (right pec strain, Sep 14) – On October 14, Dan Campbell said this about opening his practice window: “I don’t see him ready before the bye.” Since his practice window wasn’t opened at the first opportunity, expect him to use most of the 21-day window before playing. If he opens his window after the bye week, he could be back for Week 11.
- Shane Zylstra, TE (suspected right high ankle sprain, Sep 14) – Video suggested a high ankle sprain which can take around 1-2 months – longer if there is a fracture. Hope for a November return around Week 10.
- Jamarco Jones, OT (ankle, Sep 4) – Eligible to return anytime, but was ruled out for season.
- Ezekiel Turner, LB (Achilles, Aug 23) – Eligible to return anytime but suspected to not be returning. Note: there is uncertainty whether Turner was actually designated eligible to return on the cutdown date.
IR – NOT eligible to return this season (key players listed)
- Ennis Rakestraw, CB (shoulder)
- Levi Onwuzurike, DT (ACL)
- Kenny Yeboah, TE (unspecified)
- Colby Sorsdal, OG (leg)
- Justin Herron, OT (arm)
- Dan Jackson, S (leg)
Other
- Ahmed Hassanein, EDGE (right pec strain 8/16) – This 6th-round rookie was waived with an injury settlement before the season. The Lions can sign him 3 weeks after the duration of the settlement – that date of which is unknown. A pec strain can be ready in about 1-2 months, so we could see him signed at any time now. If it was a 2-month timeline, then he might sign in early November.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
- OUT – Chris Godwin, WR (fibula): This starting WR is a big loss.
- OUT – Bucky Irving, RB (foot/shoulder): This starting RB has impressed this year, so he’s another big loss.
- OUT – Luke Haggard, OG (shoulder): He has started the last 4 games, which is another hit to the Bucs offensive line.
- OUT – Josh Williams, RB (concussion)
- QUESTIONABLE – Mike Evans, WR (hamstring): Evans hurt his hamstring in Week 3 and returned to practice this week. The FP on Friday strongly suggests he’ll be in, albeit possibly limited. Evans has a history of many hamstring strains in his career, so he has a good idea how to manage his play and avoid aggravation.
- QUESTIONABLE – Emeka Egbuka, WR (hamstring): This impressive rookie left the last game with a hamstring injury. With only a single LP this week, I suspect he’ll be out.
- QUESTIONABLE – Lavonte David, LB (knee/rib): The FP to end the week suggests he’ll be in. He’s an important long-time starter who has played almost 100% of snaps this season.
- QUESTIONABLE – Teddy Bridgewater, QB (illness): Most illnesses are nothing serious. Hoping that holds true for last year’s Lions playoff backup QB.
- IN – Riley Dixon, P (personal)
- IN – Zyon McCollom, CB (thumb)
- IN – Benjamin Morrison, CB (hamstring)
Notables unlisted
- Calijah Kancey, starting DL, is out due to pec rupture with surgery in Week 2.
- Cody Mauch, starting RG, hurt his knee in Week 2 and is out for the year.
- Luke Goedeke, starting RT, hurt his foot in Week 2 and is on IR.
- Jalen McMillan, WR, is on IR.
