GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Detroit Lions are flying high heading into their Thanksgiving Day matchup with Chicago, but the quick turnaround may pose a problem for the team heading into the holiday.
Six players were listed as “missing” practice on Monday with some bangs and bruises suffered in Sunday’s 24-6 win over Indianapolis: Amon-Ra St. Brown, David Montgomery, Taylor Decker, Carlton Davis III, DJ Reader and Kalif Raymond. Because the team did not hold a formal practice, all listings are estimations.
In an interview Tuesday morning with 97.1 The Ticket, head coach Dan Campbell said he considers Decker, Montgomery, Davis and Raymond all “questionable” to play Thursday.
“We may have three or four players out for this game,” Campbell said. “That’s life, but we will adjust. Next man up. We will be ready. We will do whatever it takes to get a win.”
Of those six players, only Davis was on the injury report last week. Now, however, he is listed with a knee injury along with the broken thumb that he has been nursing for the last two weeks.
Davis, Montgomery and Raymond all left Sunday’s game and did not return. After the game, Davis seemed to dismiss any concerns.
“I’m walking and standing on it, so it should be good news going forward,” he told The Detroit News.
Montgomery told reporters that he “could have returned” to the game after leaving in the third quarter with a shoulder injury, but they decided against it with a double-digit lead already in hand.
Decker is nursing a knee injury after a Colts defender fell into the back of his legs. He missed several plays but returned later in the game.
St. Brown and Reader both seem likely to play Thursday. Reader missed Monday’s walkthrough with an illness and was not mentioned as a concern by Campbell. St. Brown, listed with a knee injury, didn’t miss any notable snaps Sunday. The Detroit News’ Nolan Bianchi speculated that the injury may have occurred after a catch in the second quarter.
“St. Brown was seen favoring his knee a bit before the following play,” Bianchi wrote.
Raymond, meanwhile, may be the least likely to play. He left the game with a foot injury that Campbell said afterward may be “a little bit more serious.”
On the bright side, cornerback Terrion Arnold, who missed Sunday’s game with a groin injury, was estimated to be a “full participant” in Monday’s walkthrough.
Detroit (10-1) hosts the Chicago Bears (4-7) on Thanksgiving Day. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. The game will be televised on CBS.
