Tag: Detroit Lions

NFL Broadcast Map: Will Bears vs. Lions air in your area?

The Chicago Bears will face the Detroit Lions in Week 13. Will the Bears be on in your part of the country?

The Chicago Bears have their hopes set on breaking a five-game losing streak with a win against NFC North rivals the Detroit Lions on Sunday. But, like many things this season, it won’t be easy.

The Bears are coming off an embarrassing 41-25 loss to the Green Bay Packers on national television, where even the defense struggled. With Chicago’s playoff chances becoming slimmer by the week, they’ll certainly need a win to keep any hope alive.

We’ll see if the Bears can finally break that five-game skid with a win against the Lions in Week 13.

Do you know if the Bears will be on in your part of the country?

If you live in the yellow area of the map, you’ll be able to watch Bears-Lions locally at noon CT on FOX (via 506sports.com).

Most of the country will get the Saints and Falcons game (pictured in green). Others will get the Bears and Lions game.

Kevin Kugler and Chris Spielman will be on the Bears-Lions call for FOX.

The Bears and Lions kick things off Sunday at noon CT.

Detroit Lions Week 13 injury designations: Kenny Golladay, Da’Shawn Hand, Jeff Okudah ruled OUT

Examining the Week 13 injury designations for the Detroit Lions as they prepare to take on the Chicago Bears.

The Detroit Lions (4-7) have declared their injury designations for their Week 13 matchup with the Chicago Bears (5-6), ruling out Kenny Golladay, Da’Shawn Hand, and Jeff Okudah for the third week in a row.

Here’s a look at the Lions’ full injury report, with the updated changes in injury status listed in bold.

Ruled OUT

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Kenny Golladay Hip No Practice No Practice No Practice OUT
Da’Shawn Hand Groin No Practice No Practice No Practice OUT
Jeff Okudah Shoulder No Practice No Practice No Practice OUT

“Improving every day,” Interim coach Darrell Bevell said of Golladay. “(I) like what he’s doing. We’ll see how it goes.” Unfortunately, Golladay will not be going on the field this weekend, so fans can cross their fingers he can return for the final month of the season. Expect Marvin Hall to continue to start in his place, but after a late surge in last week’s game, it’s fair to wonder if Mohamad Sanu has earned some more time.

After placing Shelton on injured reserve, the Lions could have used Hand in the lineup this week, but instead will turn to John Penisini, Nick Williams, and newly re-signed Kevin Strong on the interior defensive line.

The situation repeats itself at cornerback, as Trufant being placed on injured reserve along with Okudah being ruled OUT, significantly limits the depth chart.

Questionable

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Matthew Stafford Thumb Limited Practice Limited Practice Limited Practice Questionable
D’Andre Swift Illness Limited Practice No Practice No Practice Questionable
Austin Bryant Thigh Limited Practice Limited Practice Limited Practice Questionable
Tracy Walker Non-Injury Not listed Not listed No Practice Questionable

Stafford’s thumb has been a non-issue. Move along.

Swift’s illness has kept him out of another practice but the Lions plan on monitoring him through the weekend and his status is very much up in the air. If he does play, Bevell suggested it would be in a limited role.

Bryant strung together three limited practices, but after missing the last two weeks, he is still not out of the woods yet. A full practice would have helped with his projection.

Walker practiced all week but was absent today with a non-injury. The Lions don’t release what a player’s “non-injury” is, but Walker’s wife Bella is far enough along in her pregnancy that this could be related.

No Injury Designation

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Danny Amendola Hip Limited Practice Full Practice Full Practice No Injury Designation
Quintez Cephus Non-injury No Practice No Practice Full Practice No Injury Designation
Hunter Bryant Concussion Full Practice Full Practice Full Practice No Injury Designation
Christian Jones Knee No Practice Limited Practice Limited Practice No Injury Designation
Mike Ford Concussion Full Practice Full Practice Full Practice No Injury Designation

Amendola is finally back to full health and will return to the starting lineup, while Cephus was back in the fold on Friday and looks ready to play as well.

Bryant and Ford have now officially cleared their concussion protocols, as expected.

Jones continues to play through his knee injury and is on track to play, despite only seeing limited practices this week.

Injured reserve

With Okudah being ruled out of this game, the Lions are left with just three healthy corners — Juston Coleman, Amani Oruwariye, and Mike Ford — but at his press conference today, Bevell said,  “I feel more comfortable at it now, knowing that we’re going to at least go into the game with four corners.”

If the Lions expect to have four corners available on Sunday, it’s highly possible that means they are planning on activating Roberts from injured reserve on Saturday.

Bears Week 13 injury designations: 5 starters listed as Questionable, including Khalil Mack

The Detroit Lions (4-7) Week 13 opponent, the Chicago Bears (5-6), have released their injury designations ahead of Sunday’s game.

The Detroit Lions (4-7) Week 13 opponent, the Chicago Bears (5-6), have released their injury designations ahead of Sunday’s game and nine players are listed as questionable, including five starters.

Here’s a look at the Bears’ full injury designations list.

Injury status

Player Position Injury Designation
Khalil Mack EDGE (starter) Back Questionable
Akiem Hicks DE (starter) Hamstring/Achillies Questionable
Allen Robinson WR (starter) Knee Questionable
Charles Leno LT (starter) Toe Questionable
Germain Ifedi RT (starter) Calf Questionable
Nick Foles QB Hip Questionable
Darnell Mooney WR Knee Questionable
James Vaughters LB Knee Questionable
Josh Woods LB Foot Questionable

Mack is, of course, the big name on the list, and while he did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday, coach Matt Nagy insisted holding him out was just precautionary and they expected him to play on Sunday. On Friday, he got in a limited practice and appears on track.

Hicks is by far the Bears’ second-best player on a deep defense, and after missing last week with injuries, he got two limited practices in this week and has the potential to play.

Robinson, the Bears’ best player on offense, popped up on the injury report on Friday and received the questionable tag. Like with Mack, Nagy is preaching caution and says they will be monitoring him leading up to the game.

Left tackle Leno missed practice on Wednesday but returned to two limited practices the rest of the week, while right tackle Ifedi — an injury replacement himself — saw three limited practices. Both seem likely to play on Sunday.

Foles, saw a limited practice on Wednesday, followed by two full practices on Thursday and Friday, but Nagy has already named Mitchell Trubisky as the starting quarterback. If Trubisky struggles, Foles appears to be ready to step in.

Michigan legislators want Robert Saleh to be next Lions head coach

Michigan legislators wrote a letter to the Detroit Lions endorsing San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for head coach.

Members of the Michigan legislature have penned a letter to Detroit Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp calling for her to hire San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as the team’s next head coach. The Lions fired head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn on Saturday. Darrell Bevel is currently serving as the interim head coach.

Of course, Saleh was one of the hottest names on the head coaching market last offseason and was one of the top two candidates for the Cleveland Browns head coaching position. However, after not getting an offer, Saleh returned to the 49ers for the 2020 season.

While the team’s season has not gone as many fans hoped, the team’s defense has recently helped the team remain competitive even with abysmal quarterback play. Even though the defense has lost star defensive end Nick Bosa for the season and dealt with injuries all across their secondary, the unit ranks sixth in the league in yards allowed and 11th in points allowed.

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Behind Enemy Lines: 6 questions with Lions Wire

Before Sunday’s game, we caught up with managing editor Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire to get the scoop on the Bears’ Week 13 opponent.

The Chicago Bears are looking to break a five-game losing streak when they welcome the Detroit Lions to Soldier Field on Sunday. And the Bears might’ve met the the Lions at either the best or worst time after Detroit fired general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia.

With Bears general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy’s futures possibly on the line, this is a game Chicago needs to win to break their losing streak and keep their slim playoff chances alive.

Before the game, we caught up with managing editor Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire to get the scoop on the Bears’ Week 13 opponent.

Here are six questions with Lions Wire:

Detroit Lions Week 13 Thursday injury report: D’Andre Swift clears concussion protocol

Examining the Detroit Lions Thursday practice report for Week 13 and projecting which injuries could impact this weekend’s game vs the Chicago Bears.

The Detroit Lions (4-7) were back on the practice field on Thursday as they prepare for their Week 13 matchup with the Chicago Bears (5-6).

Starting running back D’Andre Swift has cleared concussion protocol but was unfortunately not able to return to the field today with a non-concussion/non-COVID-19 related illness. If he can return to practice tomorrow, he will have a real shot at playing this weekend.

Here’s a look at the Lions’ full injury report, with the updated changes in injury status listed in bold.

Injured reserve

MLive’s Kyle Meinke, this week’s beat pool reporter, noted that “Flowers was putting in some work with a trainer on the side. He could be nearing a return to practice.”

No Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
D’Andre Swift Illness Limited Practice No Practice
Kenny Golladay Hip No Practice No Practice
Quintez Cephus Non-injury No Practice No Practice
Da’Shawn Hand Groin No Practice No Practice
Jeff Okudah Shoulder No Practice No Practice

So a lot of good news mixed with some bad for Swift, but if this is only a quick illness, we may get to see him in Chicago.

Bevell said Golladay had a “good day yesterday” but once again, he was unable to practice. Unless something drastic happens tomorrow, he looks like he is headed towards another missed game.

Hand and Okudah missing their second practice in a row is also concerning for this weekend’s status, while Cephus could return at any time, as his absence is non-injury related.

Limited practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Matthew Stafford Thumb Limited Practice Limited Practice
Austin Bryant Thigh Limited Practice Limited Practice
Christian Jones Knee No Practice Limited Practice

After playing through a thumb injury for the past two weeks, Stafford should be good to go on Sunday. The same could be said of Jones, who has played through a knee injury for the last two months.

Bryant has missed the last two games with a thigh injury, and while two limited practices are encouraging, he’s not out of the woods just yet.

Full Practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Danny Amendola Hip Limited Practice Full Practice 
Hunter Bryant Concussion Full Practice Full Practice
Mike Ford Concussion Full Practice Full Practice

Amendola being upgraded to a full participant on Thursday puts him on track to play on Sunday.

Like Swift, Bryant and Ford have also cleared concussion protocols and should be on track to play this weekend.

Bears’ Report

Draft Wire pairs Lions with athletic LB Micah Parsons in latest Mock Draft

In their latest Mock Draft, 2020 Week 13 edition, Draft Wire pairs the Detroit Lions with athletic Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.

Until the Detroit Lions hire their new general manager and coach, it will be challenging to project what their roster will look like but that won’t slow down the Mock Draft machines from projecting what the team may do.

In their latest Mock Draft, 2020 Week 13 edition, Draft Wire had the Lions using the ninth overall pick to select athletic Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.

“It’s always hard to peg what a new coach will do, especially when you don’t yet know who it will be,” Luke Easterling said. “No matter who takes over for Matt Patricia in Detroit, that coach will need as much top talent as humanly possible, regardless of position. That means taking the best available player on the board, and in this scenario, that’s a three-down playmaker for the heart of the defense in Parsons.”

While we really have no idea what the Lions defensive scheme will look like, Parsons is scheme versatile and has the athletic upside to anchor the middle of any defense. No matter what the Lions and up doing, Parsons would fit.

Parsons is big (6-3, 245) fast, (estimated to run in the 4.4-4.5 range), agile and while he can play at the MIKE, he has the range to shift all the way outside to the EDGE — think Jamie Collins like range, with more power.

Easterling is not alone in projecting the Lions and Parsons, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ($) also did this week, while CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards made the connection last week when the Lions were picking at 11.

Other notable Mock Draft pairings with the Lions this week include WR Jalen Waddle of Alabama (CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson), EDGE Kwity Paye of Michigan (Pro Football Network’s Matthew Valdovinos), and EDGE Gregory Rousseau of Miami (Tankathon).

NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Coaching change doesn’t stop Lions slide in the rankings

After another loss that led to the firing of coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn, let’s examine where the Detroit Lions land in the national power ranking for Week 13.

Another disappointing loss for the Detroit Lions (4-7) and this one finally led to the firings of coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn as well as the promotion of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to interim coach.

The analysts don’t appear to believe the change will have much impact on this season and the Lions slide in the national rankings continues.

Let’s take a closer look at what the national analysts thought of the Lions’ victory and what the experts are saying this week.

Touchdown Wire: 29 (Previous: 28)

“Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will take over as the interim head coach, but the team now faces decisions at both general manager and for a permanent head coach. Names will be floated around in the near future, but for now here are some of our suggestions for both HC and GM.” — Mark Schofield

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USA Today: 28 (Previous 26)

“New principal owner Sheila Ford Hamp asserted herself by cleaning out the front office. Now, can she find a brain trust to take Detroit to its first Super Bowl?” — Nate Davis

NFL: 29 (Previous: 29)

“The Lions are blowing it up … again. On Saturday, the team announced it had fired head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn, seismic moves made 48 hours after the Lions were blown out by the Texans on Thanksgiving. Though Quinn had his share of personnel victories in his five years on the job, Patricia was more or less a total miss. The former Patriots defensive coordinator struggled to connect with players and oversaw a Lions team that regressed from the back-to-back 9-7 finishes that preceded the dismissal of Jim Caldwell. Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell takes over as interim coach, while owner Sheila Ford Hamp and president Rod Wood will spearhead the search for a new head coach and GM. If the incoming regime plans to start over, it could mean the end of Matthew Stafford in Detroit.” — Dan Hanzus

ESPN: 27 (Previous: 24)

“Most important game remaining: Week 13 at Chicago. This is the most important game only because it’s Darrell Bevell’s debut as a head coach and it might begin to answer the question of whether it was the talent on the roster or the coaching of Matt Patricia that caused many of Detroit’s problems this season. So it’s intriguing from that aspect to see how the players respond to a regime change. Otherwise, the most important game for Detroit is the last one because it can really push forward on its plan for the future once it concludes.” — Michael Rothstein

CBS Sports: 27 (Previous 24)

“They fired general manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia after an embarrassing Thanksgiving Day loss. It was only a matter of time.” — Pete Prisco

Sports Illustrated: 25 (Previous: 25)

“The Matt Patricia era is over, and it feels like a small percentage of my lasting memories from his run took place on the field. Detroit now has some work to do to rebound from an underwhelming stretch of football.” — MMQB Staff

Sporting News: 25 (Previous: 21)

“The Lions’ latest loss was the last straw for Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn. Let’s their players finish strong to save some respectability after two bad losses to bad teams.” — Vinnie Iyer

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Matt Nagy confirms QB Mitchell Trubisky is definitely starting vs. Lions

After avoiding naming a starting QB for Week 13, Matt Nagy confirmed it’ll be Mitchell Trubisky that gets the starting nod vs. Lions.

Earlier this week, Matt Nagy avoided confirming who would be the starting quarterback when the Chicago Bears host the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Soldier Field.

When asked Monday if Trubisky would be starting, Nagy said, “I don’t see why not,” which didn’t exactly express confidence about his young quarterback.

But on Wednesday, Nagy made it official that it will in fact be Trubisky that gets the starting nod against the Lions.

It’s hard to argue with Trubisky’s track record against the Lions, especially dating back the last three seasons. Since 2018, Trubisky has posted a 4-0 record against Detroit, where he’s had a 69.3 completion percentage with 12 touchdowns and one interception for a 124.4 passer rating.

The last time Trubisky faced the Lions, he led the Bears to a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback where he threw for three touchdowns in the 27-23 win.

We’ll see if Trubisky can keep his streak going against the Lions when the Bears need a win the most.

 

Detroit Lions Week 13 injury report: Kenny Golladay, Jeff Okudah miss Wednesday’s practice

Examining the Detroit Lions injuries on the Week 13 Wednesday practice report as they prepare to face the Chicago Bears.

The Detroit Lions (4-7) are traveling to Chicago to take on the Bears (5-6) in Week 13 and they had 10 players injured entering Wednesday’s practice. Five of them were able to see limited work in practice, while the other five missed practice altogether.

Here’s a look at the Lions’ full injury report, with the updated changes in injury status listed in bold.

Injured reserve

No Practice

Player Injury Monday Tuesday Wednesday Designation
Kenny Golladay Hip No Practice
Quintez Cephus Non-injury No Practice
Da’Shawn Hand Groin No Practice
Christian Jones Knee No Practice
Jeff Okudah Shoulder No Practice

Interim coach Darrell Bevell said at his press conference this morning that “Kenny’s (Golladay) working. He’s trying to get himself back, and he continues to go each and every day. There’s been progress there.”

While there is progress, Golladay has already missed five games in a row, suggesting he had a setback sometime in the last couple of weeks. The fact that he is still not on the field today, could be an indicator to set expectations low.

Hand has not practiced in two weeks and after not practicing today, he is at risk of missing yet another game.

Jones has been dealing with a knee injury for nearly two months now but has played through it each week. Typically he practices in a limited fashion and this looks like a rest day more than an injury downgrade.

The Lions cornerback group is banged up and Okudah not practicing — especially after Trufant was placed on IR today — is somewhat concerning. On a positive note, the Lions did not sign another corner to the active roster, giving a subtle indication they think they have enough players to cover, and that could be a good sign for Okudah.

Limited practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Matthew Stafford Thumb Limited Practice
D’Andre Swift Concussion Limited Practice
Danny Amendola Hip Limited Practice
Austin Bryant Thigh Limited Practice
Mike Ford Concussion Limited Practice

Stafford has played through his thumb injury the last two weeks and him getting limited work at practice is only maintenance-related.

“I think he’s close,” Bevell said of Swift this morning. “It’s really hard to say. I think it (has) kind of been a little bit up-and-down for him. So, each day’s a little bit different as we come in. What we do is we take him through – it’s progressing so far, take him through it, then see the next day how he reacts to it. Some days there’s a step forward, some days you have to (say), ‘OK, I’ve got to stay here at this level,’ and we’ll continue to work from there.”

After missing the last two weeks, Amendola may finally be turning a corner.

Bryant was not expected to practice today, so the fact that he got in some work is a good sign he is improving faster than expected.

Like Swift, Ford is progressing through the league’s concussion protocols, and getting an opportunity to practice means he is moving forward through the process.

Full Practice

Player Injury Monday Tuesday Wednesday Designation
No Players Full Practice

There are no players listed in this section at this current time.

Bears’ Report