The Lions barely survived Week 1, and now they have just four days to prepare for Buffalo. With injuries piling up and two exhausted defenses, Thursday night could be another wild one.
With a short week to prepare for the Buffalo Bills, the Detroit Lions will travel to the new Highmark Stadium for a Thursday night matchup against Buffalo.
Detroit received several news updates over the last few days, including injury updates on cornerback Christian Izien and running back Isiah Pacheco.
Today, Dan Campbell said Izien has looked pretty good throughout the week and appears to be trending toward playing against Buffalo.
“I would say he’s trending the right way.”
Having Izien back would be a big boost for Detroit’s secondary, especially after the defense struggled at times against the Saints, with DJ Reed and Rock Ya-Sin looking out of place more than once.
Campbell also delivered some tough news regarding Pacheco. According to Campbell, Pacheco underwent surgery to remove a body that was pressing on a nerve in his back. He is facing a 12-week recovery, with a chance to return by early December.
Originally, Pacheco suffered an MCL injury before hurting his back while training. Needless to say, Pacheco was already expected to miss a significant portion of the season, and this latest development makes his return timeline even clearer.
Joey Porter Jr. Trade Rumors
Many Lions fans have been clamoring for Detroit to make a trade for Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who has reportedly been disgruntled during contract negotiations with Pittsburgh.
It appears Porter may not play for the Steelers until he receives a new contract, but Dan Campbell quickly put an end to the speculation surrounding Detroit, at least for now.
Campbell was asked whether the Lions could use their large amount of available cap space to make a big move.
“I don’t see that. I would say this though: it gives us options.”
For now, it appears Detroit isn’t planning to make a major splash, but having the cap flexibility gives the Lions options if the right opportunity presents itself.
Offensive Line Injuries
Campbell also provided updates on two important offensive linemen.
Campbell said Blake Miller’s injury could threaten his availability for Thursday, but the team will know much more tomorrow.
He did say he feels there is a better chance Miller plays Thursday than Christian Mahogany.
As for Mahogany, Campbell said his injury isn’t considered serious or long-term, but it could be difficult to get him ready on a short week.
If Mahogany is unable to play, Ben Bartch would be in line to start for the Lions on Thursday.
Detroit’s estimated Monday practice report had Miller and Mahogany listed as not practicing, while center Juice Scruggs was limited.
Bills Injury Report
Buffalo’s estimated Monday practice report was much cleaner.
The Bills did not have a single player estimated to miss practice. Linebacker Terrel Bernard, running back Ty Johnson and defensive lineman T.J. Sanders were all listed as limited participants.
Could We See Another Shootout?
Both teams are coming off high-scoring games on Sunday.
The Bills defeated the Houston Texans 36–31, while the Lions narrowly escaped the New Orleans Saints 31–30 in overtime.
Detroit’s defense played 90 snaps against New Orleans, while Buffalo’s defense played 79 snaps against Houston. Now, both teams have just a few days to recover before Thursday night’s matchup.
With both defenses potentially worn down from Sunday and the short turnaround, this game could quickly turn into another shootout.
After the offensive fireworks we saw from both teams in Week 1, Thursday night could be another high-scoring affair.
