All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph will miss his ninth straight game Sunday, Dec. 19, against the Pittsburgh Steelers because of a knee injury.
Joseph has not played since an Oct. 12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs because of a chronic knee issue but remains on the Detroit Lions’ 53-man roster.
Joseph did not practice this week and is one of two players listed as out on the Lions’ weekly game participation report. Gio Manu, who returned to practice this week but remains on injured reserve from an October knee injury, also was ruled out for Sunday.
The NFL interception leader last year, Joseph has played just six games this season because of lingering pain in his knee. He first injured the knee in training camp, then suffered a bone bruise in the same spot in a Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns.
The Lions (8-6) have been reluctant to put Joseph on injured reserve this season, hoping the pain in his knee would subside long enough for him to contribute on the field
Joseph still leads the Lions with three interceptions this season, and has had great success against Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in his career. In 2021, Joseph had his first two career interceptions against Rodgers while the quarterback was playing for the Green Bay Packers, and picked Rodgers off a third time in the final game of the year – on Rodgers’ final pass with the team.
The Lions also listed five players as questionable on their injury report: Offensive linemen Graham Glasgow, Taylor Decker, Christian Mahogany and Trystan Colon, and cornerback Amik Robertson.
Robertson said he intends to play Sunday with a club on his broken left hand. The Lions could activate Mahogany off injured reserve in his return from a broken fibula. And practice squad lineman Kingsley Eguakun could start at center if Glasgow can’t play.
