Detroit Is Clearing Up Their Injury Report Coming Into Week Eight Off A Much Needed Bye Week.
Health can be a big factor in how a team can perform. Injuries rattled Detroit going into New Orleans, but walking out Detroit was worse off than they were when entering. Luckily for them, the bye week was the next week and it seemed to have paid off for multiple Lions players. The injury report has shrunk somewhat for Detroit, and they are getting some people back earlier than expected, so this is a good week for injury news as Pittsburgh comes to town on Sunday night.
Glover Quin, T.J. Lang Full Participants After Dealing With Injuries
Glover Quin got rocked against the Saints. Teammate A’Shawn Robinson ran into Quin, resulting in a concussion for the veteran safety. This was a big blow to the secondary for the rest of the game and it seemed like Quin would be out for longer. Well, the bye week helped him out as Quin practiced fully this week, and clearing concussion protocol, giving him the go-ahead to play on Sunday.
T.J. Lang had a back injury flare up before the Saints game, forcing him to miss the game. He has been a full participant in practice in back to back days, something we haven’t seen much of this season. He should be good to go on Sunday as well.
Dwayne Washington and Paul Worrilow Back In Practice, On Pace To Play Sunday
Dwayne Washington is making progress to a return and it seems to be on track for this Sunday. He has been practicing fully all week, after dealing with his quad injury. Washington might not be returning kicks anymore after Jamal Agnew has been finding success, but having another back in the backfield is good for the Lions.
Paul Worrilow has been limited in practice after dealing with an MCL sprain and was on track to return this week against Pittsburgh. With him going from a limited to a full participant in practice on Thursday, he should be ready to play on Sunday, helping out the Lions defense as they have a tough test in the Steelers offense.
Golden Tate and Ziggy Ansah Limited Again
Golden Tate was seen in a sling during the bye week, and the first report of his injury after leaving the Saints game early was a sprained AC joint. He surprisingly returned to practice this week, while limited, is still impressive. It was announced he would be out for “multiple weeks”, but that seems to be not the case. His status is still up in the air, but he tweeted this Thursday night, maybe he got cleared to play?
— Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) October 26, 2017
Once again, Ziggy Ansah was limited in practice once again after dealing with his knee injury. Unless an unforeseen occurrence happens, Ansah will play.
Greg Robinson, Emmett Cleary, and Kenny Golladay Not Practicing
After the loss, Greg Robinson was seen in a boot, which isn’t a good sign for a close return. He hasn’t practiced this week at all, due to an ankle injury, and odds are looking like Brian Mihalik will start in place for Robinson.
Emmett Cleary went in place for Lang against the Saints and did alright with what he had to do. He suffered an ankle injury as well, and while his services won’t be needed as Lang is set to return if Lang goes down, they will have to move to their third-string guard Tim Lelito.
Kenny Golladay has been on a roller coaster ride this week. He seemed to be set to return and started practicing this week limitedly again, but on Thursday he didn’t practice. With that being said, his return at this point is questionable, but the Lions brought up Jace Billingsley, so they will have at least four receivers ready to go on Sunday, even if he and Tate are out.
Sam Martin and Taylor Decker Updates
Sam Martin seems to be ready to go on Sunday. The punter in his relief, Jeff Locke, was cut during the week and while Martin hasn’t been activated off the NFI list, he seems like he will be by Saturday, giving the Lions time to think about who they will cut.
Taylor Decker didn’t practice during the one day they had on the bye and hasn’t appeared on the injury report or off the PUP list yet. He will be out against the Steelers, and his return may take longer than some fans expected it to take.
Pittsburgh Steelers Injury Report
The main focus on the Steelers for the past few weeks has been the wide receiver, Martavis Bryant. After flipping back and forth on trade rumors, his frustration with the team seems to be real enough that Mike Tomlin announced that Bryant is out for Sunday.
Bryant isn’t the only person out on Sunday, defensive end Stephon Tuitt has been ruled out as well, giving the Lions offensive line a little break.
While there are two players already ruled out for Sunday, others might join them. Offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert (hamstring) and tight end Vance McDonald (knee) haven’t practiced at all this week, as they could join Bryant and Tuitt in missing this game. David DeCastro returned to practice on Thursday after missing Wednesday (not injury related), and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has been a full participant in practice coming off a concussion.
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