Fans of the Lions believe Detroit should rest some players for the Vikings game.
On Wednesday, we polled Detroit Lions fans, asking them two questions for our latest SB Nation Reacts survey:
Following a loss typically results in a large drop in the confidence poll, but after the controversial ending to the Week 17 game against the Cowboys, Lions fans’ confidence in the direction of the team held steady at 98%.
With an NFC North Championship banner-raising event happening at Ford Field this Sunday, followed by a home playoff game the week after, Lions fans have a lot to be happy about right now.
As far as the second question—When should the Lions consider pulling their starters in Week 18?—the fans voting led to the following results:
In Week 18, the Lions have two players—Jameson Williams and Brock Wright—who are dealing with injuries significant enough that they have already been ruled out. Beyond that, they have six more starters dealing with lingering injuries that shouldn’t limit them from playing, and two players expected to return from injured reserve.
If the Lions heed the fans’ advice, players like Frank Ragnow, Taylor Decker, Sam LaPorta, Cam Sutton, Benito Jones, Alim McNeill, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson could see limited action against the Vikings.
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ALLEN PARK — Jameson Williams’ regular season is officially over, while Ceedy Duce and Alim McNeill are both trending toward getting back on track in the finale against Minnesota.
Williams has been ruled out because of an ankle injury and illness, while tight end Brock Wright (hip) and edge rusher James Houston (ankle) also won’t play against the Vikings. That derails a promising end to the regular season for Williams, who caught a 63-yard pass last week in Dallas. He caught 11 passes (on 16 targets) for 159 yards in his last three games overall, giving Detroit another productive pass-catching threat behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta.
Williams is expected to be ready for the start of the playoffs next week
“It’s been great, and not just to see it happen in the games but just in practice over and over again,” Lions receivers coach Antwaan Randle El said. “And now when something happens in the games in terms of deep throws and just consistent play, his blocking, his catching, he’s in a good spot, so that’s part of that. Just continue to work at it, be consistent with it, and it’s showing up.”
Duce and McNeill were both upgraded to questionable on Friday afternoon, and with two roster spots open, it seems only a matter of time before the Lions activate them from injured reserve. Duce has been out since Week 2 with a torn pectoral muscle, while McNeill has missed four games with a knee injury.
McNeill told MLive he’s already received the green light to play, while Duce is also expected to suit up against Minnesota, providing both players a valuable opportunity to shake off the rust. And in Duce’s case, he gets an opportunity to find his way through a new three-man safety rotation, even if it’s to the chagrin of the playmaking defensive back.
“Getting into a rotation? I’m cool with it, but I mean, how can I say this? I don’t want to sound like I’m selfish or an (expletive), but I ain’t get back early to be in a rotation,” Duce said. “But I’m doing what I need to do as a team player to get my body going.”
LaPorta (ankle), center Frank Ragnow (toe/back/knee), guard Graham Glasgow (rest), left tackle Taylor Decker (groin) and cornerback Cam Sutton (toe) are all good to go despite showing up on the injury report this week.
But there is a bug going around the locker room, and head coach Dan Campbell says he wouldn’t be surprised if someone pops up sick before kickoff.
“You try to quarantine some guys if you think it’s bad enough,” Campbell said. “But ultimately it’s just going to work its way around and we’re going to have some guys that are going to play that don’t feel good this weekend. It’s coming, I already know. And guys that seem to be pretty good today, I’m already prepared, Saturday night we’re going to hear about somebody (that) wasn’t feeling good. I hate to say it, but it’s just going to happen. But we’ll get through it. It’ll work its way through the players and then we’ll be done with it.”
