Detroit Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell announced on Friday afternoon that defensive back Kerby Joseph has suffered a setback while rehabbing his injured knee. Joseph has missed the last seven games, dating back to the Lions week six game when he suffered a bone bruise.
Campbell was asked about Joseph’s potential of being put on injured reserve following the setback.
“Could be, could be,” Campbell said. “We’re at the back end of the season now, so anything, even if it’s not technically ‘long-term’ becomes long-term because we don’t have many games left.”
While Campbell didn’t make any definitive statements about what Joseph’s setback means, it’s a sign that he probably won’t play this weekend; in fact, it’s more likely he’s put on injured reserve at this point of the season.
As far as an update on what the setback actually was, all Campbell said was “it bothers him, that’s the best way to say it.”
Joseph’s Absence Has Been Noticeable in Detroit Secondary
Kerby Joseph has emerged as one of the best defensive backs in the NFL in the last couple of seasons. He intercepted nine passes in 2024, while making 83 tackles which earned him a spot on the NFL’s All-Pro first team, while also getting Defensive Player of the Year votes.
Without Joseph this season, the Lions have allowed opposing teams to score 22 or more points in five of the seven games he’s missed. Before his injury, Joseph had already secured three interceptions and was on pace to hit the same numbers as he did one year ago. It’s also worth mentioning that the Lions were 4-1 in games he played the entirety of.
In addition to Joseph’s absence, the Lions also lost Brian Branch to a season ending achilles injury. Thomas Harper also suffered a concussion, though he’s trending towards playing this weekend against the Los Angeles Rams.
With Joseph, Branch, and Harper all dealing with ailments, Detroit also has three other members of their secondary on IR in Terrion Arnold, Dan Jackson, and Ennis Rakestraw.
The Lions will need whatever pieces they have healthy this weekend to play the best football of their careers in order to stop MVP front runner Matthew Stafford and the vaunted Rams offense.
Lions Battling To Secure Playoff Spot
At 8-5 heading into week 15, Detroit is sitting just behind Green Bay atop the NFC North and Chicago in the final wild card spot. The Lions have two avenues they can take to make the playoffs: winning the division by overtaking both Green Bay and Chicago, or ousting San Francisco from the wild card standings.
Both are well within the realm of possibility. Though the Rams are arguably the best team in football and will deliver a difficult game to the Lions, their final three games are all very winnable; they’ll take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago to finish up.
As of Dec. 12, the Lions have a 39 percent chance of making the playoffs. Winning out virtually guarantees a spot in the postseason, but even with a loss this weekend, their chances aren’t tanked.
If Detroit wins three of the final four games, it puts them at 11-6, a 94 percent chance of making the playoffs. They’ll be rooting against San Francisco, Green Bay, and Chicago for the next month in the hopes of overtaking them.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Lions Get Major Update on Safety Kerby Joseph Before Rams Game appeared first on Heavy Sports.