The Detroit Lions will have a key piece of their secondary missing when they take the field against the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
The team on Friday ruled out safety Kerby Joseph, who missed the last two games and had been unable to practice while nursing a knee injury. The loss will force the Lions to turn back to their reserves, who have come up big amid a spate of injuries in the secondary.
Lions Turning to Thomas Harper
As Jeff Risdon of USA Today’s Lions Wire noted, the Lions will need to call on their depth to make up for the loss of Joseph.
“After missing another entire week of practice, Joseph was ruled out from participating in Detroit’s Week 10 matchup with Washington. Joseph hasn’t played since Week 6, dealing with a knee injury that had been nagging at his game prior to that primetime loss to Kansas City,” Risdon wrote.
“Thomas Harper started in his place in Week 9. However, veteran Avonte Maddox is back at full speed and could also get the nod, or at least more reps, in place of the injured Pro Bowler.”
The Lions have endured a series of injuries to their starting secondary, forcing them to turn to veterans Rock Ya-Sin and Amik Robertson at cornerback and Harper and Erick Hallett at safety. The team has also turned to reserves like Nick Whiteside and Loren Strickland to play meaningful snaps, noted MLive.com reporter Kory Wood.
Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard noted that the patchwork group even came up with a nickname, playing of the famous Seattle Seahawks defenses known as the “Legion of Boom.”
âThe âLegion of Whom,â they introduced themselves to the NFL,â Sheppard said, via MLive.com. âI stood up here before yâall on that Thursday and told yâall it was an opportunity. It was an opportunity for those guys to introduce themselves to the NFL and to the world. Thereâs nothing better than clicking on Instagram and seeing a hundred articles talking about Nick Whiteside. That is unbelievable.”
Both Teams Will Be Shorthanded
The Lions won’t be the only team ailing this weekend. The Commanders have also suffered some major losses, including quarterback Jayden Daniels. He suffered a gruesome disclocated elbow in last week’s loss to the Seahawks, but the team opted not to put him on injured reserve.
The Commanders will be turning to veteran Marcus Mariota, but Sheppard said the Lions are preparing just the same.
âAbsolutely no difference at all. That offense is that offense, and they have full trust in Marcus Mariota,” Sheppard told reporters on Thursday. “If anything, he’s bigger and a little more physical. … Mariota’s 220, 230 (pounds). He’s a physical player, and he’s not looking to slide a lot. He’s looking to convert, get first downs.”
The Lions are looking to rebound from their loss to the Minnesota Vikings and avoid their first back-to-back losses in nearly three years. The Lions had a chance to move back to the top of the NFC North, but remain a half-game behind the Green Bay Packers after last week’s loss.
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