Allen Park<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Entering a primetime matchup against arguably the greatest quarterback of his generation, the\u00a0Detroit Lions\u00a0could be without four of their five starters in the secondary.<\/p>\nLions coach Dan Campbell said safeties Brian Branch (ankle) and Kerby Joseph (knee) will not practice and will be gametime decisions for Sunday\u2019s game against the Kansas City Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Both players are officially listed as questionable.<\/p>\n
Joseph has been dealing with a lingering knee issue since training camp and suffered a different knee injury in Week 4 that briefly forced him out of a win against the Cleveland Browns. Branch, meanwhile, exited Sunday\u2019s win against Cincinnati with an injury but returned to finish the game before being limited with an ankle injury on Wednesday and Thursday.<\/p>\n
On Branch, whose injury is new, Campbell said he doesn\u2019t feel like it\u2019s a long-term concern despite the immediate uncertainty with his availability.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll come down to how he\u2019s going to feel for this game. But I don\u2019t feel like this is some long-term thing, by any means,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cI feel like we\u2019re going to get him to (play in) the game, I really do. But we\u2019ll see. I can\u2019t sit here and guarantee it, either.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Lions were already going to be without starting cornerbacks D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold, plus reserve cornerback Khalil Dorsey, who went on injured reserve with a wrist injury this week. Compounding the matter is that defensive back Avonte Maddox is also now dealing with a hamstring injury and will be another gametime decision. Maddox is also listed as questionable.<\/p>\n
Amik Robertson and Rock Ya-Sin are expected to fill in as the starting outside cornerbacks. If any combination of Branch, Joseph and Maddox also can\u2019t go, the Lions will rely on a mix of safeties Thomas Harper and Loren Strickland, who are currently on the active roster, as well as practice-squad defensive backs like Tre Flowers, Arthur Maulet, Nick Whiteside and Erick Hallett II.<\/p>\n
Like most units on the football field, the secondary heavily relies on rock-solid communication to execute down-in, down-out. Campbell said the team is doing \u201cthe best you can with\u201d getting all of the players familiar with the scheme and ready to carry out their responsibilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe good news is all of those guys have gotten reps. Every one of those guys have gotten defensive reps \u2014 the guys on the practice squad, I\u2019m talking about all of them,\u201d Campbell said. \u201c… Now, is it the same amount of reps everybody else (is getting)? No, but they\u2019re in there, they know the game plan, they\u2019re prepared to play any and all (things). Listen, that\u2019s the hand you\u2019re dealt.<\/p>\n
“We better be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
More injury updates<\/h2>\n
The Lions ruled out four players: Cornerback\u00a0Terrion Arnold<\/strong>\u00a0(shoulder), linebacker\u00a0Zach Cunningham<\/strong>\u00a0(hamstring), defensive tackle\u00a0Alim McNeill<\/strong>\u00a0(knee) and running back\u00a0Sione Vaki<\/strong>\u00a0(groin).<\/p>\n\u25b6\u00a0OT Taylor Decker (questionable):<\/strong>\u00a0Decker missed last week\u2019s game against Cincinnati with a lingering shoulder issue and has not practiced for much of this season. Detroit is trying to aid his recovery by giving him some time to rest, but it\u2019s unclear how long that plan will hold.<\/p>\n\u201cHe\u2019s getting better. I think we\u2019ll know a lot more after (Friday). We get through this practice, rehab, all that,\u201d Campbell said.<\/p>\n
\u25b6\u00a0OT Giovanni Manu (questionable):<\/strong>\u00a0Manu, who started in place of Decker last Sunday, was limited in Thursday\u2019s practice with a knee injury and was not spotted at practice on Friday. His status will likely be a gametime decision as well.<\/p>\n\u25b6\u00a0DT Alim McNeill (out):<\/strong>\u00a0McNeill was hoping to return to action for the first time since last December, when he suffered a season-ending knee injury, but he was ruled out on Friday’s injury report.<\/p>\n“I’ve been working out, doing this, this and that, doing everything but football,” McNeill said Friday. “Now that I’m back in football, it feels good. Everything feels like it’s back in motion, back in the fold, so yeah, I was excited to get out there at practice and put force into somebody else. I’m ready, though, 100%.”<\/p>\n
\u25b6\u00a0WR Kalif Raymond (questionable):<\/strong>\u00a0Raymond is questionable with a neck injury that forced him out of last week’s game against Cincinnati.<\/p>\nChiefs injury updates<\/h2>\n
The Chiefs are as healthy as a team can be entering Sunday’s contest. The only uncertainty was wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who picked up an ankle injury in Monday’s game against the Jaguars and did not practice Thursday.<\/p>\n
Worthy practiced fully on Friday and is officially off the injury report with no game designation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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