Tag: detroit lions vs. kansas city chiefs

Lions Week 1 injury report: Emmanuel Moseley out vs. the Chiefs

Moseley is the only Lions player who carries any injury designation into Thursday’s game against the Chiefs

The Detroit Lions are in relatively good health entering the Week 1 matchup in Kansas City with the Chiefs. Only one player, cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, has been ruled out of the game for injury purposes.

The good news for Detroit is that Moseley is the only player who winds up carrying any game designation at all into Thursday’s opener. Center Frank Ragnow, who sat out Tuesday’s practice for veteran rest, will play with no injury status. DT Isaiah Buggs and S Ifeatu Melifonwu are also medically in the clear to play. Buggs will be inactive due to a coach’s decision, and Melifonwu might also be a healthy scratch.

It’s not a surprise that Moseley isn’t ready for game action yet. The veteran cornerback is coming off two knee surgeries and was only activated from the PUP list last week.

Bold predictions for the 2023 Detroit Lions season

Laying out some bold predictions about the 2023 Detroit Lions with Lions Wire’s Jeff Risdon

There’s no avoiding the hype surrounding the 2023 Detroit Lions. As the regular season races to begin, so too do the superlatives and excitement from fans in Detroit and around the country. These Lions under Dan Campbell are one of the big NFL media darlings, too.

The team, from GM Brad Holmes on through the players and the coaching staff, appear poised and ready to back it all up. Some great things could be in store for Detroit.

Fueled by a fresh pot of black coffee and with the enthusiasm flowing, here are some bolder predictions for the 2023 Detroit Lions.

Not all of these are positive-tinged. Now that the team has escaped the dark ages of the Quinntricia regime, it’s actually bold to predict some negative outcomes instead of just expecting them to be the reality.

Lions Week 1 injury update: Ragnow rests, no new additions

Center Frank Ragnow sat out of Tuesday’s Detroit Lions practice as planned to rest his chronic toe injury

The Detroit Lions held their penultimate practice session on Tuesday before the regular season opener in Kansas City. There was only one change to the team’s injury report from Monday’s session.

Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow sat out Tuesday’s session, but every indication is that Ragnow was simply getting a veteran rest day. He’s dealt with a chronic toe injury for some time and is expected to miss practices weekly as a form of load and pain management.

As for CB Emmanuel Moseley, Campbell didn’t commit to the veteran playing on Thursday night. Moseley is in his first full week of practice after being activated from the PUP list following two knee surgeries.

“Yeah, encouraging, it’s been good every day, he’s getting his legs back under him,” Campbell said. He’s been getting some reps out there and then he took some one-on-one reps the other day, that was his first kind of taste of it and so you can tell, he’s got a big grin on his face. He’s starting to feel pretty good, so here we are a couple of days, really three days after the fact and he’s feeling pretty good, so he’s getting better.”

Moseley has been listed as a limited participant in both practice reports. DT Isaiah Buggs (illness) and S Ifeatu Melifonwu (hamstring) have both been full participants each day.

The Chiefs were not so lucky. All-Pro TE and leading receiver Travis Kelce suffered a hyperextended knee in Tuesday’s practice. His availability for Thursday night is in doubt.

Final injury reports for both teams will be released on Wednesday.

Chiefs All-Pro TE Travis Kelce suffers hyperextended knee, status in doubt for Week 1 vs. Lions

Chiefs All-Pro TE Travis Kelce suffers a hyperextended knee in practice and his status is in doubt for Week 1 vs. Lions

The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a potentially critical injury in their final practice before hosting the Detroit Lions in Thursday night’s Week 1 opener. All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce hyperextended his knee, per Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. His availability for the game is in serious question, though no official prognosis of his status is yet determined.

Kelce is a huge piece of the Chiefs offense. He caught 110 passes for 1,338 yards and 12 TDs in 2022, a year where he earned his fourth All-Pro nod in seven seasons. The Chiefs use multiple TE sets frequently, and Kelce is the key chess piece for head coach Andy Reid. Next up at TE are Noah Gray and Blake Bell, who combined for 30 receptions in 2022.

Kelce has been incredibly durable in his career. He hasn’t missed a game due to injury since 2013, when he missed all but one game in his rookie season due to microfracture surgery in his knee.

The Chiefs are already expected to be without their best defensive player, with All-Pro tackle Chris Jones still holding out in a contractual dispute. Jones has yet to report to the team, let alone practice.

Lions fans will have little sympathy for the Chiefs after losing standout left tackle Taylor Decker in practices before Week 1 back in 2021.

Detroit Lions Podcast: Season predictions and Week 1 matchup preview

Detroit Lions Podcast: Season predictions and Week 1 matchup preview, plus Isaiah Buggs and Mike Evans talk

The Detroit Lions play meaningful football on Thursday night, and the Detroit Lions Podcast is ready for action. The unusual game schedule forced a change in the live recording of this week’s show, which breaks down the Lions matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Before the season predictions and Chiefs talk, there is a good discussion on the Isaiah Buggs saga. It’s a look into the way head coach Dan Campbell is handling the players and the expectations for the team.

There’s also a diversion into the Mike Evans trade potential. Would the Buccaneers move the All-Pro wideout, and for what in return? Would the Lions be interested, and what would paying Evans mean for the rest of the roster?

Then it’s onto the season predictions for the Lions offense, defense and finally, the season record.

 

The audio-only version of the show is available from your favorite podcast provider.

 

Detroit Lions injury report heading into Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs

The Lions are pretty healthy heading into Thursday’s opener, based on the first practice participation report of the regular season

We’ve officially entered week one of the NFL season and it’s time to find out if the Detroit Lions are the real deal or not. Sure enough for the Lions, it could be the toughest opponent on their schedule with the Kansas City Chiefs.

As we know, the defending Super Bowl champions will be an uphill battle. Fortunately for Detroit, they’ve compiled one of their best rosters in recent memory. All offseason, they’ve gotten better. At every position group, they’re better.

On paper, it all looks good. We’ll see what kind of results happen against the Chiefs on Thursday night. While it might be Labor Day, the Detroit Lions went to work with their first practice of the week as they prepare for Thursday.

With practice during a game week, it’s always worth monitoring the injury report. For the Kansas City Chiefs, it’s noteworthy that their best defensive player, Chris Jones, has been holding out for a new contract. With no end insight for that contract, it seems unlikely for Jones to play for the Chiefs on Thursday.

As for Detroit, here’s how their injury report stacked up for their Monday practice in week one of the 2023 season:

  • CB Emmanuel Moseley — Knee — Limited Participant
  • DT Isaiah Buggs — Illness — Full Participant
  • DB Ifeatu Melifonwu — Hamstring — Full Participant
  • OC Frank Ragnow — Toe — Full Participant

With Moseley, we’ve all expected him to be limited to start the season. As he recovers from a torn ACL, it’s unlikely that he will play in Week 1 and also maybe Week 2 for the start of this season. However, it’s not on the PUP list so that’s always a good sign.

As for Buggs, he has been benched for this game due to him missing voluntary mini-camps. While he’s battled an illness, it’s promising that he’s back on the field for practice right now.

Lastly, Melifonwu and Ragnow were “full-go” for Monday’s practice. The hamstring for Melifonwu as he spent his rookie season on IR with a thigh injury. With Ragnow, this toe injury could haunt him for the rest of his career. He’s battled through it over the last year or so but it could be a weekly thing to monitor with him at this point.

All in all, the Lions look healthy and we can only hope that they’re ready for their opening tilt against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

Isaiah Buggs benched for the Lions opener, downplays his social media controversy

Nose tackle Isaiah Buggs says he’s benched for the Lions opener, and also downplays his weekend social media controversy

Lions nose tackle Isaiah Buggs was the focus of attention on Monday. As is often the case when a nose tackle is prominent, it’s not a positive for the big man.

Buggs acknowledged that he’s been benched by head coach Dan Campbell for the Week 1 opener in Kansas City. It has nothing to do with the injury that he suffered in the preseason finale against the Giants, which he labeled as simply “just got shook up.” And it also is unrelated to the illness that kept him out of Saturday’s practice session, when he was the only Lions player not a participant in the period open to the media.

“I’m going to be straightforward with it, because they were straightforward with me with that,” Buggs declared. “And as of right now, I will not be playing.”

He added,

“I didn’t know that. It was a surprise to me, actually. That’s why I say — you don’t always know everything.”

Considered a locker room pillar and fresh off receiving a nice two-year contract earlier this offseason, it’s an unusual decision. Buggs is the projected starter at DT along with Alim McNeill.

“You thinking they’re all in with you, and then, ‘Boom.’ With a snap of your finger, it’s like that. Like I said, I’ve always been a team player, I’ve always been a role player. Whatever they have for me, that’s what I’m going to do.”

The Lions have Benito Jones and third-round rookie Brodric Martin to play the nose in Buggs’ place. Levi Onwuzurike can also fill in at DT alongside McNeill, who can play any spot on the interior.

Buggs also downplayed the ambiguously ominous social media posts that sent Lions fans agog over the weekend.

“It’s nothing to address, to be honest,” Buggs said. “It’s nothing to address. Like I say, things change, relationships change. There’s nothing to address, honestly,” Buggs said. “I’m just saying in life, period. It’s nothing dealing with football. It’s nothing dealing with here (the Lions). I’m just saying, so I don’t want anybody to take that context and run with it. But at the same time, relationships do change. That’s all I’m going to say, it’s nothing else to say about that.”

Chiefs star DT Chris Jones still holding out, unlikely to play the Lions in Week 1

The All-Pro is looking for a new contract and has yet to report to the team or practice

The Kansas City Chiefs will almost certainly face the Detroit Lions in Week 1 without their most impactful defensive player. All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones is still holding out in a contract dispute.

Jones has been seeking a new contract from the Super Bowl champs but the two sides remain far apart from an agreement, according to multiple reports. That includes a timely one from Ian Rapoport on Sunday afternoon that casts serious doubt about Jones’ availability for Thursday’s game in Kansas City.

Jones, 29, is coming off one of the best seasons by an interior lineman in NFL history. He recorded 15.5 sacks, 17 TFLs, four passes defended and two forced fumbles in making 1st-team All-Pro. Jones finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

The Chiefs would face the Lions’ impressive offense with Derrick Nnadi, Neil Farrell and rookie Keondre Coburn trying to fill Jones’ shoes. Kansas City still boasts a formidable secondary and solid LB corps, but Jones was the catalyst for their success in 2022.

Dan Campbell lays out the key to stopping the Chiefs offense

Campbell is confident in the Lions defense’s ability to do what needs to be done against the Chiefs

It’s a real challenge for the Detroit Lions to open the 2023 season in Kansas City. The Chiefs are the defending NFL champions and bring back an offense that led the league in both points and yards in 2022.

For the Lions, it appears to be a daunting task. Detroit finished 28th in points allowed and 32nd in yards surrendered. Even with a revamped secondary and one of the NFL’s deepest pass rushes, the Lions are in for quite a test on Thursday night.

Detroit head coach Dan Campbell has a plan of attack to slow down Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Chiefs:

Turnovers.

“Yeah, look I think we need takeaways,” Campbell said before Friday’s practice session. “We need takeaways. We’ve got to convert on third down on offense and we need takeaways on defense. I think that’s what we have to come away this game with and I think we’ll say that all year long.”

In the 8-2 run to finish the 2022 campaign, Campbell’s Lions created 16 takeaways and committed just four. The two games Detroit lost, Buffalo and Carolina, saw the Lions create just one takeaway against three offensive giveaways.

Campbell has confidence in the new-look secondary to make those takeaways happen.

“Yeah, I feel very confident,” Campbell stated. “I do believe that we’ve got some playmakers back there on the backend and so I think we’re much better suited than we’ve been here to come up with some – man, you get some tipped balls, overthrows, get a hand on a ball that we’re going to come down with those, and not only there on the backend, but I think we’ll have the ability to squeeze the pocket on these guys and just really all year I believe we’ll be able to do that with our front. And so, that bodes well to getting some takeaways, those two things.”

Dan Campbell gives a great line on why the Lions are playing the Chiefs in Week 1

Campbell gave a hilarious answer but followed it up with a serious one that his players need to hear

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Lions head coach Dan Campbell is always a popular guest on the NFL talk shows. Campbell proved why once again on Friday morning in an appearance on the NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” program.

Campbell dropped in via teleconference to field questions about the Lions schedule, which was released in full on Thursday night. The head coach pulled out a great line (which is not family-friendly) on why the Lions were selected to face the Kansas City Chiefs in the Week 1 season kickoff on Thursday, September 7th.

“Here’s my first thought, I’ll be totally honest with you as to why they would give us Kansas City (in the prime-time opener),” Campbell told host Jason McCourty. “Okay, you finished the year a certain way, but it also means they’re betting that we won’t get our ass kicked. You may get beat, but you won’t get your ass kicked.”

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Campbell did get serious after the fun answer.

“I know there is interest and I know we are an intriguing team. You know, we made a run there at the end of the year. But the thing that can’t be lost, and our guys are not going to lose sight of it, is — we did just enough to mess up early in the season to not get in (the playoffs).

It’s an important perspective for a young Lions team opening on the road under the bright national lights against the defending Super Bowl champion.

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