Short-handed secondary may have to rely on Kindle Vildor again on Thursday
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond (11) is tackled by Houston Texans cornerback Ka’dar Hollman during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Detroit Lions are facing a Chicago Bears team that are coming off of another tough loss.
Despite tying the game late, the Bears went on to lose to the Vikings in overtime, 30-27, dropping their fifth consecutive game and dipping their record to 4-7.
For Dan Campbell’s squad, three key contributors may not be available, especially with the upcoming game occurring just four days after a 24-6 win against the Indianapolis Colts.
Detroit’s fourth-year head coach expressed, “It’s going to come down to the wire with a number of them. That’s the challenge with the short week. The good news is, I think most of these are not some long-term thing, but the problem is three days to turn around and play. That’s where it becomes a bit of an issue. So, if we can’t, we’re prepare like we always are. Next man up. You got to hold the line, do your job and go compete.”
When asked specifically about which three players are the toughest to decide upon, Campbell noted three key players who have helped the team win nine consecutive games may not suit up.
“Right now, I mean, Decker, CD (Carlton Davis), Leaf (Kalif Raymond). Saint’s (Amon-Ra St. Brown) a little banged up. We’ll see how he recovers.”
Message during short week of preparation
For the Lions, the message this week is about healing up and preparing mentally for another NFC North matchup.
Detroit has not won on Thanksgiving since back in 2016. Quarterback Jared Goff expressed postgame the seven-game losing streak is one the current team would like to end.
“Message is really recovery. Rest, recovery and the mental work,” said Campbell. “It’s how fast can you recover, get your body right, get your mind focused on the job at hand, because you’re not going to get the physical. Block out all the distractions. That’s one thing, the distractions are on us, not on them. We got all our family here, friends, all that. You got to block it out, tell them you love them, and you’ll see them him after the game.
“That’s kind of the challenge with all this,” Campbell continued. “This team’s been in, they’ve lost a couple of heartbreakers in the last two weeks. But they’ve been in a bunch of these tight races, and they just keep coming back for more. So they’re hungry for a win. We got our hands full.”
