The Detroit Lions are the hottest team in professional football, having won 10 games in a row and sitting on top of the NFC North with an 11-1 record. However, there is significant concern in Detroit because the Lions have been hit with so many injuries on the defensive side of the ball.
The Lions were in bad shape in that area prior to their Thanksgiving Day 23-20 victory over the Chicago Bears. Things got even worse for head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. The Lions suffered three more injuries against the Bears as that team rallied back from a 16-0 halftime deficit and nearly came away with a late victory.
While the primary story coming out of that game was Bears head coach Matt Eberflus inability to call a late timeout that ultimately led to his firing on Black Friday, the Lions injury situation has weakened the defense significantly.
There appeared to be some hopeful news for the Lions concerning defensive end Josh Paschal, who suffered a knee injury. According to a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Paschal is not likely to miss a lot of time because the injury is considered minor. Paschal has already started rehabbing the injury, so the hope is he could be back in the lineup shortly.
Lions have to compete with several backups in the lineup
In addition to Paschal's injury, the Lions saw linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez and defensive end Levi Onwuzurike both suffer injuries against the Bears. Rodriguez tore his ACL in the game and is done for the year while Onwuzurike injured his hamstring.
It's one thing for Dan Campbell to talk about the team's toughness and summon the next-man-up thought process, but the Lions are not the team they were just a few weeks ago.
It began when star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffered a broken leg early in the season, and they have also lost key linebacker Alex Anzalone to a broken forearm. Defensive end Marcus Davenport is out for the rest of the season after tearing his triceps while linebacker Derrick Barnes suffered a torn MCL and PCL.
The Lions have also dealt with injuries to starting cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Carlton Davis, and their backups Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Emmanuel Moseley have also been hurt. Key reserve defensive linemen John Cominsky and Kyle Peko are currently out with injuries.
The Bears scored three touchdowns in the second half against the wounded Lions and that did not appear to be a fluke. The battered and bruised Detroit defense will be put to the test Thursday night when the Lions host the surging Green Bay Packers Thursday night.
Green Bay (9-3) is chasing the Lions, but the Packers have the healthier and perhaps more dangerous team in this key matchup.
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