The Lions saw quite a few guys improve their health, but one downgrade could be a bad omen. The Eagles remain very healthy coming off their first practice (walkthrough yesterday), but tomorrow is the key day for both teams. Eagles Thursday: As expected, the eagles are in pretty good shape physically, as everyone but Starting OL Cam Jurgens was a FP today. Wednesday: The Eagles had a walkthrough after their MNF win at Green Bay, and everyone was listed as either LP or FP. Only item of note is that four of five starting linemen were listed on the report, with only starting LT Mailata having a fully clean bill of health. Lions Thursday: The Lions saw quite a bit of improvements today, as seven players improved their practice status from yesterday. Hutch and Glasgow were FP, while Decker, Sewell, Vaki, Wright and Saylors were upgraded to LP. O’Connor was the only downgrade, form LP to NP. Everyone else, including Joseph and Arnold, stayed the same. The big issue is that Amik Roberston appears to have hurt his hamstring in practice, so let's hope they are holding him out for caution reasons. Playing the Legion of Whom against Hurts and his weapons will be a bit different than at home against Mayfield and his injured WR corp. Wednesday: Who boy, where to start. The Lions had seven starters on the injury list amongst the 16 players listed today. The bulk of them were NP, with Huth, LaPorta, Sewell, Arnold and Joseph all No Practice. Glasgow and Decker were Limited Practice, along with Saylors and O’Connor. Vaki and Wright were the other NP. The other five players were the folks coming back off the Reserve lists, which saw both Marcus Davenport and DJ Reede joining Rodrigo, Paschal and Frazier as LP players today. Indications are that the injuries to most starters except Joeseph and Arnold are likely temporary, and they should play this week.

The Lions and Eagles meet Sunday night in a battle between two of the top teams in the NFC. Both teams have some injuries they are working through, and the Eagles are coming off a MNF game and will have a short week to prep for the game. Week 11 Practice Report 1 Eagles Wednesday: The Eagles had a walkthrough after their MNF win at Green Bay, and everyone was listed as either LP or FP. Only item of note is that four of five starting linemen were listed on the report, with only starting LT Mailata having a fully clean bill of health. Lions Wednesday: Who boy, where to start. The Lions had seven starters on the injury list amongst the 16 players listed today. The bulk of them were NP, with Huth, LaPorta, Sewell, Arnold and Joseph all No Practice. Glasgow and Decker were Limited Practice, along with Saylors and O’Connor. Vaki and Wright were the other NP. The other five players were the folks coming back off the Reserve lists, which saw both Marcus Davenport and DJ Reede joining Rodrigo, Paschal and Frazier as LP players today. Indications are that the injuries to most starters except Joeseph and Arnold are likely temporary, and they should play this week.

Week 11 NFL coverage starts Thursday night with the Amazon streaming only* game (NYJ@NE) then continues the Sunday Morning International game in Madrid, Spain with WAS@MIA and a single Monday Night Football game (DAL@LAV). The Lions will be featured on the Sunday Night Football Broadcast against Philadelphia on NBC. CBS early game features TB@BUF, CIN@PIT and LAC@JAX with the late games being KC@DEN and BAL@CLE. Most of the country will get the TB@BUF early and the KC@DEN late. FOX has regional single games this week, with early games including CHI@MIN, GB@NYG, CAR@ATL and HOU@TEN. The two late games are SEA@LAR and SF@ARZ, which gets the entire west coast and Southern states. Interesting is that a large portion of the country in the South and Ohio Valley do not currently have a designation for what game they will get. May be left to the local affiliates for which game they show. For example, here in Central Ohio Spectrum doesn't have the teams, but they are showing one of the two late games per their guide. Byes: Indianapolis, New Orleans NATIONAL BROADCASTS Thursday Night: NY Jets @ New England (Amazon) Sunday morning: Washington @ Miami (in Madrid) (NFLN; Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma) Sunday Night: Detroit @ Philadelphia (NBC) Monday Night: Dallas @ Las Vegas (ESPN/ABC) NYJ-NE will be simulcast on WNYW (FOX/5) New York and WCVB (ABC/5) Boston. WSH-MIA will be simulcast on WUSA (CBS/9) Washington and WFOR (CBS/4) Miami. CBS Early CBS Late FOX Single Game All listings are unofficial and subject to change. Check back often for updates. Courtesy of the folks at 506 Sports

Name: Alex Kemp Age: 52 Promoted To Referee: 2018 Graphic Courtesy of Football Zebras Last Game: Week 10 2025 TB @ NE Last Lions Game: 09/03/24 – SEA 29 @ DET 42 The Seattle Seahawks committed 9 penalties for 70 yards. They were flagged a total of 10 times. The Detroit Lions committed 12 penalties for 101 yards. They were flagged a total of 15 times. Together there were 21 penalties for 171 yards. There were 25 total flags in this game. Notable With the season apparently back on the rails now that Campbell has taken over offensive play calling duties, the Lions went into DC and easily handled the Commanders last week. The offense looked much crisper and more efficient while committing a season-low three penalties and scoring 44 points. Coincidentally, the other game with that few penalties vs Chicago, which they put up 52 points, their two greatest offensive outputs this year. Hmmmmm This week looks to be another chance to keep improving, although Alex Kemps crew throwing the 7th most flag in the NFL this year, evenly split between home and away, with a handful more against the home team. Looking at the trends, both teams commit four of the top five penalties called by this crew, with the Eagles OL really getting scrutiny for Offensive Holding and False Starts. Both teams commit DPI at the same rate, but the Lions' DBs get more Defensive Holdings called than the Eagles, which may be a reputation thing. The last penalty, which neither team gets called for a ton that Kemps' crew looks out for is Face Mask, which they seem to call about one per game.

The last practice of the week is in the books and we now know who is in and who is out for the Lions and Commanders game Sunday. As expected, most of the players coming off reserve lists (Rodrigo, Frazier, Thomas or Paschal) are likely to play, although Rodriguez and Thomas do have Questionable designation, so there is a chance. Commanders Friday: It appears that the Commanders were sandbagging their injury situation a bit, as their entire injured list except for Daniels and McLaurin miraculously fully practiced after being NP or LP all week. They do have a small concern at S, where starter Quan Martin and his primary backup Tyler Owens are both listed as Questionable with Hamstring issues, so that is one to watch. Thursday: As expected, the Commanders had a bunch of players back at FP today, with only Daniels and McLaurin NP and likely out. Back were Tunsil, Croskey-Merritt, Goldman and Newton. Wednesday: The Commanders had a lengthy list of guys including multiple starters that DNP on Wednesday. However, a closer look shows three were for Rest, and most of the others were known or carryovers from prior weeks. Daniels and McLaurin are the big names impacting their Offense, while the depth at Safety and Interior DL will be pressed with several guys pushing through injuries if they end up playing. Lions Friday: As expected, Kerby Joseph and Pat O’Connor will be out along with Saylors, Frazier and Paschal. Sewell was upgraded to FP and no designation along with Arnold and Summers. The rest of the guys are all listed as Questionable, but I would expect most of them to play, including Decker. Thursday: Lions saw all the OL move to Limited Participation, which means they are trending to play Sunday. All other designations were the same. Wednesday: The Lions came out with a massive list of guys that DNP on Wednesday, including Decker, Sewell, Skipper and Joseph. However, at least three guys on the list are in their 21-day window coming off a reserve list, so the only ones to be worried about in reality are Saylors, Skipper and O’Connor, all of whom have back injuries. We expect Decker and Sewell to be back at practice on Thursday in some shape.

Good Grief, that was a painful game to watch last week, shadowing the Green Bay Packers opening season loss in many ways. The Lions came off the bye, as healthy as they have been in many weeks, and played terrible against a mediocre Vikings team that didn't really outperform them in that 27-24 loss. Self-inflicted problems and three key plays cost the Lions the game, which they honestly deserved to lose. They also saw a significant number of new injuries pile up across multiple positions, but thankfully a team that is just as beat up, if not more, in the Commanders are this week's opponent. The Lions are now 5-3, with the Commanders sitting at 3-6 leading to a massive opening line for the Lions with backup QB Marcus Mariota once again starting for the Commanders. Will talk about injuries later, but the offensive comparisons is a statistical mismatch, as the Lions are still Top 5 in Points (2nd), Passing and Rushing TDs, Passer rating and lead over the Commanders in pretty much everything other than Rushing Yards per game. The defense isn't much better for Washington, as they are bottom five in a lot of stats, including TDs allowed, TOs created, missed tackles and so on. The X-factor here will be the injuries, as that impacts both teams. The Lions appear to be without Kerby Joseph again in addition to the guys on IR, but will have most of their OL likely playing, but nicked up. the Commanders will be down their Starting QB, WR, and most of their DE depth (four of them are on IR), and likely have multiple defenders nicked up while playing. The weekly battle for pick supremacy did not change as expected, as everyone picked, and missed, the Lions last week. So, the order is still the same with Brent, Dan and then Mike and Chris in a dead heat with both having the exact same amount of points off from the Lions aggregate total for the year. With the picks this week, everyone is STILL on the Blue Kool-Aid and believe the Lions will win in comfortable fashion with the exception of Chris, who thinks it will be a bit closer than expected. So, no change in standings, but those tie-breaker points will change again. Mike Week 10 in the NFL has our favorite team travelling to the Nations Capital to face the Washington Commanders. This is a battle of the beaten up teams. Both teams come with a number of injuries across the board. The Lions are hurting on the Offensive Line although it looks like All Pro (and best RT in all of Football) Penei Sewell will be playing the Lions will need to replace LG Christian Mahogany and LT Taylor Decker is fighting nagging issues. The Commanders biggest loss is QB Jayden Daniels and WR Terry McLaurin. The Lions Offense will look to bounce back from a below average performance last week against the Vikes. HC Dan Campbell says he would like to get RB David Montgomery and WR Isaac TeSlaa more involved. I hope this accurate in regards to Montgomery. The offense looks more in balance when he is running up the middle and saving the quick hitters for Jahymer Gibbs. I would look for the Offense to come out swinging against the 28th ranked Defense of the Commanders. On the Defensive side of the ball the Lions need to stop the run, that is where it all starts. The Lions gave up 142 yards on the ground to the Vikes. The Commanders are ranked 4th in the NFL in Rushing Offense and average approx 140 yards a game on the ground. The Lions 11th ranked defense against the Run must step up and stop the Commanders. I think they will. The DL is healthy and with Alim McNeil back and with a few games under his belt he will be a factor. My key to this game is Special Teams. The Lions have been below average on Special Teams compared to last year, in terms of Kickoff and Punt return coverage. The blocked field goal last week helped the Vikings win that game. Typically Dave Fipp coached Special Teams are top notch, I am looking for a bounce back game from this unit this week. The Lions are 8.5 favorites, that is a big number to cover in the NFL. The Commanders are banged up and are starting a backup QB down a No 1 WR. Lions: 24, Washington 17 Brent The Lions enter this week on the road against the team that ended their playoffs last season. The Washington Commanders are not the same team that the Detroit Lions faced in January. The 3-6 Commanders enter this game as an 8.5 point underdog and have lost their franchise quarterback for the remainder of the season. In addition to the Commanders loss of Jayden Daniels, they have been down two of their starting wide receivers for a combined 12 games. Despite this, the Commanders rank 10th in run block win rate since Marcus Mariota took over as quarterback. The Commanders would be well advised to commit to the run against the Lions rush defense that has slid to 9th in the NFL in stopping the run. On the defensive side of the ball, the Commanders lost three of their four starting defensive ends, As a result, the Commanders are ranked 28th in the NFL in stopping the run. The Lions should be able to run the ball given their offensive line will have four of five starters playing. Dan Campbell indicated the Lions commitment to correcting the offensive line deficiencies against the Vikings. Expect the Lions to be effective in running the ball against a weakened Commanders defensive front. Expect the Lions to put on a strong performance against a wounded Commanders team. The Lions focus this week is on improving the Offense, Defense and Special Teams. Lions will run through the Commanders to a 31-14 win at FedEx field and set up a showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday night Lions 31, Commanders 14 Chris Washington limps into this one missing Jayden Daniels, Marcus Lattimore, and any semblance of momentum after dropping four straight. Meanwhile, Detroit is still licking wounds from that Minnesota debacle, shuffling offensive linemen like a desperate poker player hoping for a better hand. Here's the thing: Dan Campbell-coached teams don't lose two in a row. They haven't in three years. That's not just a stat. That's culture. And after getting embarrassed coming off a bye week, you better believe this Lions team is showing up with something to prove. John Morton's has pressure on him too. The offensive line situation is a mess. Christian Mahogany's out, Penei Sewell's questionable (but likely playing), and Taylor Decker's shoulder seems to be hanging by a thread. But Washington's D ranks 28th in total defense, and their secondary is a disaster without Lattimore. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta should feast. If Goff gets clean enough pockets, this might get ugly fast. The Commanders will lean on rookie running back Jacori Croskey-Merritt and hope Marcus Mariota channels his 2015 magic. Spoiler: he won't. Jack Campbell and the Lions' front seven will shut down the run, and without Daniels' dual-threat ability, Washington's offense becomes painfully one-dimensional. Detroit's special teams need redemption after gifting Minnesota 17 points on short fields. No more blocked field goals. No more 61-yard kickoff returns. Clean that up, establish the run with David Montgomery early, and let Goff work the intermediate passing game against a vulnerable secondary. This one stays closer than it should because of Detroit's offensive line uncertainty, but the Lions pull away late. Expect a gritty, grinding win that sets them up for the real test next week in Philadelphia. Lions 24, Commanders 20 Dan Sigh. So last week sucked and it was a very winnable game right up until the end. A handful of key mistakes, two by the special teams, led to that game slipping away from the Lions. However, it's time to move onto this week's game against the Commanders. After losing Jayden Daniels to an elbow injury in meaningless time of a blowout loss last week, the Commanders season is on the brink. They can either become a wounded animal and come out fighting, or they can roll over and pack it in like the team that is third to the bottom in the NFL with a scant chance of making the playoffs. Only four teams, and none since the 2006 Houston Texans, have started a season 3-6 and qualified for the Playoffs. The weather in DC calls for Light Rain and Breezy conditions, so I think the ground game will be important, and the Commanders are in the bottom third of the NFL in most of the meaningful Rush Defense stats (and Passing ones for that matter) So I think the Lions will be able to attack in a variety of ways. Last week, the Lions were under immense Blitz pressure from the Vikings who are 2nd in the NFL in blitz rate at 40% of drop backs. The Commanders only Blitz 25% of the time and are bottom third in sacks, pressure rate and second overall in missed tackles. So, I think this is the week that the Lions offense gets back to its explosive ways. There appears to be either a size of speed gap between the Lions skill players and the Commanders back seven, and I think that is where this game will be won. As for the Lions defense, it also appears to be back and relatively healthy, so even though Mariota is as much of a threat with his legs, I think the pass rush will keep him contained and force turnovers and sack him multiple times. Likewise, the Commanders rushing game will be taking a hit with Daniels (2nd on team) so keeping Mariota and Croskey-Merritt contained along with not giving up reverses to Deebo Samuel by the LBs and Safeties. Bottom line, I am sticking with the Lions and believe they will pull away late as the Commanders are a hurting bunch that is not near the same level that won in Detroit last year in the playoffs. Lions 27, Commanders 17

The second practice of the week is complete, and now we now that a large chunk of the guys that made up the initial Wednesday list were just getting some time off to recover from their injuries along with a bunch of guys that are just getting back onto the field after coming off a reserve list. Commanders Thursday: As expected, the Commanders had a bunch of players back at FP today, with only Daniels and McLaurin NP and likely out. Back were Tunsil, Croskey-Merritt, Goldman and Newton. Wednesday: The Commanders had a lengthy list of guys including multiple starters that DNP on Wednesday. However, a closer look shows three were for Rest, and most of the others were known or carryovers from prior weeks. Daniels and McLaurin are the big names impacting their Offense, while the depth at Safety and Interior DL will be pressed with several guys pushing through injuries if they end up playing. Lions Thursday: Lions saw all the OL move to Limited Participation, which means they are trending to play Sunday. All other designations were the same. Wednesday: The Lions came out with a massive list of guys that DNP on Wednesday, including Decker, Sewell, Skipper and Joseph. However, at least three guys on the list are in their 21-day window coming off a reserve list, so the only ones to be worried about in reality are Saylors, Skipper and O’Connor, all of whom have back injuries. We expect Decker and Sewell to be back at practice on Thursday in some shape.

Week 10 NFL coverage starts with the Thursday night Amazon streaming only* game (LAV @ DEN), has the return of Sunday Morning International game in Berlin with ATL@IND and a single Monday Night Football game (PHI @ GB). The Lions return to a surprising light coverage map in the Fox Late game window. CBS has the Single Game this week with Early slate being NE@TB, JAX@HOU, BUF@MIA, and CLE@NYJ. The late game is ARZ@SEA, which is in several weird market's west of the Mississippi. Fox has regional early games of NYG@CHI, BAL@MIN and NO@CAR. The two late games are DET@WAS and LAR@SF, which gets the entire west coast and Southern states. Byes: Cincinnati, Dallas, Kansas City, Tennessee   NATIONAL BROADCASTS Thursday Night: Las Vegas @ Denver (Amazon) Sunday morning: Atlanta vs Indianapolis (in Berlin) (NFLN; Adam Amin, Kurt Warner) Sunday Night: Pittsburgh @ LA Chargers (NBC) Monday Night: Philadelphia @ Green Bay (ESPN/ABC) LV-DEN will be simulcast on KTNV (ABC/13) Las Vegas and KMGH (ABC/7) Denver. ATL-IND will be simulcast on WAGA (FOX/5) Atlanta and WXIN (FOX/59) Indianapolis. CBS Single FOX Early FOX Late All listings are unofficial and subject to change. Check back often for updates. Courtesy of the folks at 506 Sports

Name: Scott Novak Age: 54 Promoted To Referee: 2019 Graphic Courtesy of Football Zebras Last Game: Week 9 2025 MIA @ BAL Last Lions Game: 11/17/24 – JAX 06 @ DET 52 The Jacksonville Jaguars committed 6 penalties for 40 yards. They were flagged a total of 6 times. The Detroit Lions committed 4 penalties for 46 yards. They were flagged a total of 4 times. Together there were 10 penalties for 86 yards. There were 10 total flags in this game. Notable After experiencing another officiating “anomaly” last week with Clay Martins crew throwing an inordinate amount fo flag against the Lions at crucial times, the hope is that Scott Novak and Crew will play it closer to their averages. They are in the bottom 3 of crews for flags and yardage per game, which bodes well for two beat up teams this week. They do tend to penalize the home team a bit more, so Commanders with Mariotta may be in some trouble. Looking at the trends, both teams have a top for in penalties that align with Novak’s Crew flags, but the Commanders have almost 10 more than the Lions in these key penalties year-to-date. Mariotta is slippery, but not nearly as fleet-of-foot as McCarthy, so the Lions should benefit as Novak Crew like to call Offensive Holding and False Start more than any other penalty.

The Vikings final injury report has eight starters in various stages of practice and game availability for Sunday, including a couple of improvements and one downgrade. The Lions had one downgrade, but he is expected to play and one key player that everyone should be happy to have back. Vikings Friday: The Vikings appeared to have two OL starters trending back to playing Sunday in Darrisaw and O’Neil, but both are listed as Questionable. The same three players that haven't practiced all week are OUT, but the rest of the group doesn't have a game designation, so they should all be in including both LBs. One new injury popped up in S Martellus, but he doesn't have a designation, so should be good to go, but something to watch. Thursday: The Vikings appeared to be getting back Christian Darrisaw after Wednesday, but then he missed Thursday and is now trending the wrong way. That would be a big blow, as O’Neil is also limited, and McCarthy is gonna need all the help he can get. The one positive was that Greenard was a full participant, but his impact will have to be seen, as he is a big bruising ILB and the Lions speed may make him a non0-factor in the game. Every other player kept the same designation as Wednesday. Wednesday: The Vikings have been hit hard by injuries over the last month or so, but they also saw some relief with a bunch of guys back to practice that have been hurt. The DNPs were CJ Ham and backups Jeff Okudah and John Oliver. The Full Practice guys are all starters in JJ McCarthy, Andrew Van Ginkel & Christian Darrisaw (FP) along with LPs Brian O’Neil, Jonathan Greenard and Isiah Rodgers. Areas of concern continue to be the OL with guys nicked up and LCB, where both Rodgers and Okudah are also banged up. Lions Friday: The Lions knew that Kerby, Reynolds and Rodriguez would be out based on Campbell comments yesterday, so no surprise there. It appears that everyone else at least has a shot, including Avonte Maddox and Daniel Thomas, although they are questionable along with Decker and Vaki. Campbell stated Vaki and Decker likely will play, so we will see on the other two. Everyone else, including Arnold, has no designation and is good to go. Thursday: The big news was that Taylor Decker was a full participant in practice for the first time in over a month, indicating he is finally getting over the shoulder ailment that has plagued him most of the year. The other positive was that AQM went from Limited to Full Participant, and Terrion Arnold was also a full participant for the second day in a row, indicating all will play. The bad news is that Kerby joseph continues to miss time due to his ailing knee and likely will sit this week once again, but with Brain Branch Back form suspension and Thomas Harper playing admirably, his loss may be able to be mitigated. The rest of the Lions retained their same level of practice participation, so the report later today will shed light on who is in and out. Wednesday: The Lions came out of the bye week with only two players Not Practicing in Kerby Joseph and Craig Reynolds. Both were expected based on comments earlier this week form Dan Campbell, so no surprises there. The positives were that Terrion Arnold was a full participant, and two injured guys, Malcolm Rodriguez and Daniel Thomas were both back at practice, albeit Limited. The rest of the list includes AQM (Hamstring was his mystery injury), Decker, Maddox and Sione Vaki all back limited, but on the field.

The week 9 matchup between the Lions and Vikings is a tale of two teams heading in opposite directions. The Lions are 5-2 and coming off a bye where they are on the path to getting healthier, while the Vikings are the current NNFC North Bottom dweller with 3-4 record battling injuries all year. Both teams will be getting back key players, with the Lions seeing Brian Branch return form suspension along with several other players in their secondary finally starting to get healthy. The Vikings will have JJ McCarthy back under center along with Van Ginkel, Darrisaw (maybe) and Jones back in their regular spots, albeit all coming off injuries. In our season long competition, Brent still has the lead based on his 6-1, but it is tenuous right now at best. His point prediction has gone off the rails, as he keeps overestimating what the Lions are going to score each week, so he is currently off by 50 points, 34 more than the closest competitor. In second is Dan, one game back at 5-2 and significantly closer on total points than Brent. Mike and Chris are tied for third, both sitting at 4-3 with pt differences of 12 and 14 respectively. Based on this week's predictions, there won't be any movement in the standings, as everyone likes the Lions, but a gantlet of NFC East teams on the Horizon can see some differing picks over the next few weeks. Mike Week 9 has the Vikings visiting Ford Field. This is not last year's Vikings. The Vikes Offense ranks 25th They have struggled with running the ball as their Oline has been bitten with the injury bug. Also their starting RB Aaron Jones has been out for most of the year. Overall their Defense is a respectable 14th overall and 5th in the NFL in stopping the run. This plays right into the Lions strengths. They Lions are getting a few defensive players back including Star DB Brian Branch, and Hutch has just signed a very large contract extension. I would look for OC John Morton to get Jamo involved a bit more in the game whether it be reverses or quick hitters across the middle, gets his speed involved. At the end of the day, I think the Lions are too much for the Vikes at Ford Field. Lions 28, Vikings 14 Brent The Detroit Lions entered their bye week 5-2 and started to look more familiar to Lions fans against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The interesting thing is they did it with practice squad players in their secondary. It is questionable whether Kerby Joseph will play this week, but the Lions should be getting healthier with Brian Branch coming back from suspension and Terrion Arnold likely to play. The Lions front seven on defense is starting to catch their stride. Hutch signed a massive contract this week, Alim McNeil got his first game action, and so expect a strong performance defensively against the JJ McCarthy led Viking offense. The Lions will feast upon a weakened Viking offensive line however; Justin Jefferson remains a big threat. If McCarthy can manage to get time, he has multiple threats with Aaron Jones, Jr., TJ Hockenson, and Jordan Addison outside of Jefferson. The key is whether JJ gets any time to throw the football. The Vikings offensive line has been a real liability. In the end, the Lions defense should be able to hold the Vikings to single digits. Offensively, the Lions offense should feast on the Vikings defense. The Vikings are the 24th team against the run. To stop Gibbs and Monty from running all over the field, they will have to commit their linebackers and secondary to helping stop the run. With this, the Lions should be very successful passing the ball and look for play action to be a significant part of the game plan this week. Also of significance, the Lions will be looking to work Jamo into the game plan more than he has been involved of recent past. If he catches the ball, look for multiple long passes to come his way. With the limitations detailed above, I see it as the Detroit Lions 38 and Vikings 9. Lions 38, Vikings 9 Chris The Vikings are literally limping into Ford Field with JJ McCarthy back under center, which sounds promising until you remember his pressure-to-sack ratio was over 40% before his injury. That's not ideal when you're about to face Aidan Hutchinson, fresh off his $180 million extension, and Alim McNeill wreaking havoc up front. Minnesota's offensive line is held together with athletic tape and optimism. Christian Darrisaw played eight snaps last week before heading back to the medical tent. If the tackles are compromised or the backups get the nod, McCarthy better have a quick release programmed into his muscle memory. On the flip side, Detroit's offense is due for a big game - and hasn’t looked like it’s been hitting on all cylinders lately. Jahmyr Gibbs keeps defenses honest, the play-action game opens up and Goff operates from clean pockets where he thrives. The Vikings have improved against the run lately but asking them to slow down this Lions rushing attack at home feels like wishful thinking. Brian Flores will dial up blitzes to rattle Goff, but if Detroit stays balanced and keeps favorable down-and-distance situations, this one gets out of hand quickly. McCarthy hasn't shown he can handle a Top 5 pass rush yet, and this isn't the week to figure it out. Lions 30, Vikings 14 Dan This is a game of two teams headed in opposite directions both this season and as organizations. As to this week, the Lions are getting healthier, stronger and better, and the NFC North cellar dwelling Vikings are getting...JJ McFraud back as their starting QB. LOL. On Defense, the Vikes appear to have a decent passing D, but the data suggests its because their rushing defense is not the greatest, so why pass? The Lions defense e is ranked top 10 in virtually all major categories, so bringing an inexperienced and essentially a rookie QB into Ford Field, where he will have butterflies being “home” again is likely to end in disaster for the Vikes. With health issues continuing to plague their OL and key players such as Darrisaw (may not play), O Neil, Ham. Jones and McCarthy out or coming back from recent major injuries, it seems like the Lions D-Line will feast once again. Looking for multiple sacks and several TOs on the Vikes offense. They may get some shots downfield to Hockenson, Addison or Jefferson, but I think the damage will be minimal as Brian Branch, Avante Maddox and Terrion Arnold will all be back, although Kerby Joseph is trending as out. On offense, the Lions are now completely healthy, as Taylor ecker was a full participant for the first time in over a month at practice. The Vikings defense is getting some help back, but both LBs Van Ginkel and Greenard are coming off injuries, and their RCB spot has both Okudah (likely Out) and Isiah Rodgers hurt, exposing a lack of depth in the Vikings secondary. On that note, I think the Lions will likely run to set up the pass, using Gibbs and Monty to hammer the Vikings front seven, and then hit intermediate and deep passes over the top. Expect Jamo specifically to have a big game, as the Vikings back seven is not very fleet of foot, and he should be able to just run right t by them. On paper, this looks to be a shitshow in the makings for the Vikes, as the Lions simply do everything better and are clearly the better team. Knowing that, I think that is exactly where this game ends up, a Lions comfortable win over a Vikings team that is on a slow decent to the bottom. Lions 31, Vikings 17

Both the Lions and Vikings saw some movement in their injured players yesterday, but one team is trending the right way and the other is not. Vikings Thursday: The Vikings appeared to be getting back Christian Darrisaw after Wednesday, but then he missed Thursday and is now trending the wrong way. That would be a big blow, as O’Neil is also limited, and McCarthy is going to need all the help he can get. The one positive was that Greenard was a full participant, but his impact will have to be seen, as he is a big bruising ILB and the Lions speed may make him a non0-factor in the game. Every other player kept the same designation as Wednesday. Wednesday: The Vikings have been hit hard by injuries over the last month or so, but they also saw some relief with a bunch of guys back to practice that have been hurt. The DNPs were CJ Ham and backups Jeff Okudah and John Oliver. The Full Practice guys are all starters in JJ McCarthy, Andrew Van Ginkel & Christian Darrisaw (FP) along with LPs Brian O’Neil, Jonathan Greenard and Isiah Rodgers. Areas of concern continue to be the OL with guys nicked up and LCB, where both Rodgers and Okudah are also banged up. Lions Thursday: The big news was that Taylor Decker was a full participant in practice for the first time in over a month, indicating he is finally getting over the shoulder ailment that has plagued him most of the year. The other positive was that AQM went from Limited to Full Participant, and Terrion Arnold was also a full participant for the second day in a row, indicating all will play. The bad news is that Kerby joseph continues to miss time due to his ailing knee and likely will sit this week once again, but with Brain Branch Back form suspension and Thomas Harper playing admirably, his loss may be able to be mitigated. The rest of the Lions retained their same level of practice participation, so the report later today will shed light on who is in and out. Wednesday: The Lions came out of the bye week with only two players Not Practicing in Kerby Joseph and Craig Reynolds. Both were expected based on comments earlier this week form Dan Campbell, so no surprises there. The positives were that Terrion Arnold was a full participant, and two injured guys, Malcolm Rodriguez and Daniel Thomas were both back at practice, albeit Limited. The rest of the list includes AQM (Hamstring was his mystery injury), Decker, Maddox and Sione Vaki all back limited, but on the field.