Tag: Jamaal Williams

Lions vs. Steelers: Final injury report rules out Jamaal Williams, Austin Seibert

Williams and Seibert will miss the trip to Pittsburgh, while Taylor Decker is one of two Lions listed as questionable

The Detroit Lions will be without two regular starters when they head to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers on Sunday. Running back Jamaal Williams and kicker Austin Seibert have been ruled out for the game on Detroit’s final practice injury report.

Williams remains sidelined with a thigh injury that also kept him out of the Week 8 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He is the team’s leading rusher. Expect rookie Jermar Jefferson to get more work in Williams’ absence.

Seibert popped onto the injury report late in the week with a hip injury that will keep him out. The Lions have protected kicker Ryan Santoso on the practice squad all season, and Santoso was perfect while filling in for Seibert earlier this season too.

Two Lions are listed as questionable. OLB Austin Bryant was limited all week with a shoulder issue. Left tackle Taylor Decker was a full participant in every practice but earned a questionable nod as he attempts to return from a finger injury. Coach Dan Campbell indicated that it’s more likely than not that Decker will play.

“I would say high. High percentage. Higher than 50,” Campbell said of Decker’s chances to play in his pre-practice press conference on Friday.

For Pittsburgh, only one player carries any injury designation into the game. Wide receiver Chase Claypool is ruled out with a toe injury. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger practiced in full on Friday after missing the earlier action with hip, chest and shoulder injuries.

Lions injury update: RB Jamaal Williams sits out, LT Taylor Decker a full participant

Decker was a full participant in his first practice since being activated from IR

There was some good news and some bad news in the first Detroit Lions practice injury report for Week 10.

If you’re the type of person who wants the bad news first, skip down another paragraph and then come back up.

The good news is that left tackle Taylor Decker was a full participant in his first practice since being activated off injured reserve. Decker has been out for the entire season after suffering a nasty injury to his left index finger that required six pins to repair surgically. The Lions activated Decker over the bye week and he appears good to go for the Week 10 matchup in Pittsburgh.

The bad news comes at running back. Starter Jamaal Williams was the only Lions player to miss the entire practice. Williams is dealing with a thigh injury and also missed the Eagles game in Week 8 before the bye.

More on the good news front: For the first time all season, running back D’Andre Swift did not appear at all on the team’s injury report. He has been nursing a groin injury since minicamp, though he has not missed any game action.

Three players were limited participants:

OLB Austin Bryant (shoulder)

DE Jashon Cornell (illness)

K Austin Seibert (hip)

Rookie CB AJ Parker was also on the list but as a full participant, like Decker. Parker missed Week 8 after suffering a neck injury in the Week 7 loss to the Rams in Los Angeles.

Lions vs. Eagles: Inactive players for the Week 8 matchup include Jamaal Williams, Darren Fells

The Lions inactives for the Week 8 matchup include Jamaal Williams, Darren Fells

The Detroit Lions will be down one of their two tight ends on the active roster for Sunday’s matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. Blocking TE Darren Fells is among the inactive players for the Lions in Week 8.

Fells appears to be a healthy scratch. He was not on the injury list during the week. The Lions did call up rookie Brock Wright from the practice squad to help fill the role, though Wright struggled blocking in his NFL debut last week.

Running back Jamaal Williams is also inactive. Williams, the Lions leading rusher, was questionable for the game with a thigh injury. Starting slot CB AJ Parker is also out after being listed as questionable. Parker suffered a neck injury in the Week 7 loss to the Rams and was in and out of practice all week.

For the Eagles:

Lions injury report: Jamaal Williams sits out, 3 others return to action

Williams sat out after being limited on Wednesday, while 3 Lions who missed Wednesday came back as limited on Thursday

The Lions practice injury report changed quite a bit from Wednesday to Thursday in advance of the Week 6 meeting with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Running back Jamaal Williams did not practice on Thursday. He was listed with both a hip injury and an illness designation. Williams was limited in Wednesday’s session.

Three Lions who were out on Wednesday returned to practice as limited participants. Defensive end Trey Flowers (knee), tight end T.J. Hockenson (knee) and cornerback Amani Oruwariye (hip) all came back. They joined fellow limited participants LG Jonah Jackson (shoulder) and RB D’Andre Swift (groin).

Cornerback and return man Corey Ballentine remains out from both practices with a hamstring issue.

The final injury report for Sunday’s game comes out after Friday’s practice in Allen Park.

Lions vs. Vikings: Best and worst PFF grades from Week 5

Detroit Lions best and worst players through PFF shows the highlights and struggles against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5

Another kick to the heart for the Detroit Lions after the Minnesota Vikings stole the victory right out of the Lions’ grasp with a last-minute field goal to drop the Lions record to 0-5 to start the season.

On top of another loss, the Lions lose yet another player, WR Quintez Cephus, to a potentially season-ending injury, making everyone wonder how the Lions can have this much bad luck. But you can tell the players are fighting to the last second and giving their all, making these losses so tough it brings Dan Campbell to tears.

It will only be a matter of time before the Lions get their first victory, and many of these players will be out to help achieve that win.

Here are this week’s PFF’s best and worst players for the Lions in Week 5.

Lions get a stroke of good injury luck ahead of matchup with Vikings

TE T.J. Hockenson and RB Jamaal Williams, both listed as questionable on the Lions’ injury report, are expected to play vs. the Vikings.

The Vikings are getting the Lions at a pretty good time of year.

Minnesota is 1-3 and desperately needs a win. Detroit, an 0-4 team, has had to deal with poor injury luck lately on both sides of the ball.

But the Lions got some good news before the matchup. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that TE T.J. Hockenson and RB Jamaal Williams, both listed as questionable on the Lions’ injury report, are expected to play Sunday against the Vikings this week.

Detroit still has players like C Frank Ragnow and CB Jeff Okudah out for the Week 5 game. The Lions also have some key players questionable, such as RB D’Andre Swift and OT Penei Sewell.

Overall, the Lions are still depleted across their roster as the team heads into their game with the Vikings. However, having Hockenson and Williams set to play on Sunday is a stroke of good luck for a team that really needed it.

Every NFL team’s MVP after 4 weeks of the season

With four weeks of the 2021 season in the books, who has been each NFL team’s MVP thus far?

There have been quite a few surprises through the first four weeks of the season thus far, with teams such as the Panthers, Bengals and Cardinals getting off to great starts. And although we’re only about a quarter of the way through the season, the top contenders have begun to separate themselves from the pretenders.

The same goes for the preliminary race for NFL MVP. There are some strong candidates that have emerged, including Josh Allen, Dak Prescott and Kyler Murray, and also some dark horses who could factor into the mix with a strong finish to the season.

At the quarter mark, we picked every team’s most valuable player through the first four weeks, and it hasn’t been all about the quarterbacks.

Lions PFF grades: Best and worst players against the Bears from Week 4

The Detroit Lions PFF grades reflect the continued struggles in the secondary and average showing from the offense against the Chicago Bears

The Detroit Lions seemed to be on the up and up competing against the top-tier teams this season. Heading into Week 4, you had to believe they were feeling good against the Chicago Bears team that gave up nine sacks the previous week. The only kicker was they competing against the Bears and themselves, turning to be their downfall.

With poor execution, sub-par defensive play, and the constant shot footing, the Lions could not get anything figured out until it was too late. Also, to add injury to insult, the Lions lost their best defensive player, Romeo Okwara, for the season, making a poor defense much weaker in the long run.

There weren’t too many stellar players this week, and it reflected in this week’s PFF grades for the Lions.

Lions vs Bears: Studs and Duds for Week 4

The Detroit Lions shot themselves in the foot to a 24-14 loss to the Chicago Bears, but with many duds, there are some studs this week.

The Detroit Lions walked into Soldier Field today in hopes of getting that elusive first win of the season against the Chicago Bears, but they will have to wait another week at a shot for that win. The Lions could not rebound from the number of mistakes made today dropping their fourth straight of the season with a 24-14 loss to the Bears.

Considering how the Lions and Bears played last week, many believed the Lions had a fair shot at pulling off the victory, but play after play on both sides of the ball it didn’t seem like they were in tune. Between the blown coverages and ill-timed turnovers, it dug the Lions a hole they couldn’t get themselves out today.

In a game where the Lions continuously shot themselves in the foot, it might be hard to walk away with anything the Lions can hang their hat out. Likely there were a few studs mixed in the number of duds this week.

Dan Campbell: ‘You’re going to see a lot more’ of D’Andre Swift

Swift hasn’t technically been a starter in 2021, but coach Campbell indicates that could change quickly

D’Andre Swift hasn’t technically started a game yet in 2021. Jamaal Williams has been on the field for the first Detroit Lions offensive snap at running back, not Swift. But that’s not any indication of a lack of respect or trust in Swift’s game.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell addressed why Swift isn’t the nominal starter in his press conference.

“I think it was more of, ‘Hey, let’s see where he’s at,’” Campbell told reporters before Wednesday’s practice session. “He’s still kind of coming off these injuries. We’ve got to use him the right way. Be careful. Let Jamaal start. Jamaal’s been here the full time”

Swift, as is customary throughout the season, was a limited participant with his groin problem. That is strictly precautionary, something Campbell and the Lions have reiterated several times. The head coach then offered up this nugget on Swift,

“I, certainly, think you’re going to see a lot more of Swift, and he can very easily be out there first play. I think he’s done enough to earn that.”

Swift has played quite a bit more than Williams through the first three weeks. His 134 snaps dwarf the “starter’s” 85, and he also has more touches. Swift has 33 carries and 23 targets in the passing game, each of which leads the Lions. Williams has 28 carries and 14 targets through three games.

The Lions offense perked up noticeably when Swift took over in the second half of the Week 3 loss to the Ravens.

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