Week 15 Injuries For Detroit Have Mixed Signals For The Remainder Of The Season.
Going into Tampa Bay last week Detroit had some banged up players, but in the injury report during their week 15 showdown against Chicago, more injuries appeared from players who weren’t dealing with anything before Tampa Bay. The good news is those injuries seemed to be minor and over, but the bad news is a bigger one popped up that could affect the team’s playoff chances even more.
Travis Swanson And Rick Wagner Ruled Out For Saturday
Despite playing the full game last week, starting center Travis Swanson has been diagnosed with a concussion and he will miss the game on Saturday. Swanson didn’t practice all week long and don’t forget, Swanson missed the final six games last season with a concussion, so his return this season is spotty, something the Lions can’t afford at this point in the season.
Starting right tackle Rick Wagner didn’t practice all week due to the ankle injury he suffered a few weeks back and is ruled out as well. That means two starting offensive linemen will miss this game and against a tough Chicago Bears front seven, that could spell for disaster.
Ameer Abdullah and Jamal Agnew Expected To Return
Starting running back Ameer Abdullah should return against the Bears, something he said he could have done last week as head coach Jim Caldwell made him in inactive. Abdullah practiced in full participation last week, and doesn’t have an injury designation, so unless he is still in Jim Caldwell’s doghouse, he should be starting.
Star rookie kick returner Jamal Agnew practiced fully all week as well, so expect him to return as Detroit was having wide receiver TJ Jones return kicks and punts with no success.
Ziggy Ansah And T.J. Lang Questionable
Starting defensive end Ziggy Ansah is dealing with that ankle injury once again and being limited in practice all week isn’t a sign that it is getting better. The good news is that Ansah has played on the banged-up ankle for a majority of the season, so odds are he will fight through the pain and play.
Starting left guard T.J. Lang is still dealing with a foot injury as he was questionable last week and played, his practice routines didn’t change this week, so he should be able to play as him missing this game would be a gaping hole on the right side of the line.
Matt Stafford And Many Others Recovered
Starting quarterback Matt Stafford’s hand seems to have recovered as he has been upgraded to a full participant in practice this week after being limited last week. The injury didn’t seem to have too much of an effect on him, which is good for the team’s chances at playoffs.
Starting left tackle Taylor Decker was limited in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday before being upgraded to full on Thursday with a shoulder injury, which is good news as the tackle has already missed half of the season. Another offensive tackle, Corey Robinson, seems to have recovered from his foot injury.
Starting cornerback Nevin Lawson was sick with an unknown illness and missed two practices, but he seems to be better as he practiced with no issues on Thursday. Also, another offensive lineman Emmett Cleary, who was limited in practice all week last week with an ankle injury, practiced fully all week long but is still listed as questionable. If Detroit needs him if a lineman goes down, he will be available.
Chicago Bears Injury Report
Chicago isn’t as banged up as Detroit is, as only four people are listed as questionable. Defensive backs Adrian Amos (hamstring) and DeAndre Houston-Carson (ankle), defensive lineman Eddie Goldman (hip), and tight end Adam Shaheen (chest) are those four players as linebacker Pernell McPhee and wide receiver Kendall Wright are good to go.
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