Lions Catch a Break as Cardinals Suffer Crushing Injury News Before Sunday

Coming off an ugly loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Detroit Lions will now turn their attention to the Arizona Cardinals, whom they will face on the road this Sunday. Drew Petzing will get a shot at revenge against his former team, where he served as offensive coordinator for the past three seasons. Detroit received some encouraging injury news this week, while Arizona suffered some significant blows. Let’s break down the latest practice reports for both teams.

Lions

The good news for Detroit is that starting safety Brian Branch was activated off injured reserve and is now eligible to play Sunday. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard hinted that Branch could potentially return this week, although if he does play, I expect him to be on a snap count.

Detroit also activated center Cade Mays. However, given Juice Scruggs’ strong play in his absence, I wouldn’t expect Mays to immediately return to the starting lineup.

Offensive lineman Ben Bartch has not practiced this week after being ruled out of last week’s matchup with a foot injury. Cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, who exited the Panthers game early with a hamstring injury, has also missed practice this week.

Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams is dealing with a foot injury and did not practice Wednesday. However, he was upgraded to a limited participant Thursday, showing signs of improvement. Williams has been dealing with a bruised foot, but he appears to be trending in the right direction heading into Sunday’s matchup.

Edge rusher DJ Wonnum is also dealing with a back injury. He was a limited participant in both Wednesday’s and Thursday’s practices.

Cardinals

Arizona received some devastating news regarding its offensive line, as starting left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. has been ruled out for the season. However, that wasn’t the only blow to the Cardinals’ offensive front. Starting right guard Isaiah Adams is dealing with an ankle injury and did not participate in either Wednesday’s or Thursday’s practice.

Safety Budda Baker, outside linebacker Jordan Burch, offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo and edge rusher Josh Sweat all sat out Wednesday’s practice for rest purposes. I expect all four players to be available Sunday.

Starting free safety Andrew Wingard is dealing with a knee issue and did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, making his status worth monitoring heading into the weekend.

Meanwhile, rookie running back Jeremiyah Love, the third overall pick in the draft, appeared on the injury report with an ankle injury. He was a limited participant in both Wednesday’s and Thursday’s practices, leaving his availability for Sunday uncertain.

Final Thoughts

Both teams are dealing with injuries heading into Sunday’s matchup, but Arizona appears to have suffered the more significant blows, particularly along its offensive line. Losing Paris Johnson Jr. for the season is a major setback for the Cardinals and could create opportunities for Detroit’s defensive front.

However, the Lions cannot afford to take Arizona lightly. Last week, the Carolina Panthers entered their matchup with Detroit dealing with several injuries but still managed to outperform the Lions and secure a victory.

Detroit needs to learn from that loss and take advantage of the opportunities in front of it. The Cardinals may be banged up, but the Lions must execute on both sides of the ball if they want to leave Arizona with a win.