Getty Rashaan Melvin playing for the Lions.
The Detroit Lions get set to tangle with the Washington Redskins, and the Lions are a fairly dinged up team yet again for their Week 12 tussle.
This week, the Lions are fighting off multiple tough injuries as they get set to go on the road once again to face a woeful Washington team. In a battle between two teams nosediving in 2019, something has to give, and in this contest, injuries to prime time performers in several spots could help bring Detroit down to Washington’s level more than a bit.
Here’s a look at who is sitting out today for the Lions, plus more on the matchup between the teams on the field.
Lions Inactives
QB Matthew Stafford
DE Trey Flowers
CB Rashaan Melvin
C Frank Ragnow
DL Da’Shawn Hand
S Tracy Walker
KR Jamal Agnew
Analysis
Obviously, the biggest blows came early in the week for Detroit off their last hard hitting game against the Dallas Cowboys. Missing Trey Flowers and Frank Ragnow isn’t great for the health of the team in the trenches, and Tracy Walker will be missing again just one week after trying to come back off injury. Otherwise, the Lions will be tested in terms of missing Rashaan Melvin within the defense and will have to prove they can rebound in a major way given those struggles on the team so far this season at various spots. Melvin isn’t as big a loss as Darius Slay would be, but the Lions will still be challenged to cover in the second level without him. With him, it hasn’t even been easy in 2019.
In Washington, Aaron Colvin is a scratch at cornerback instead of Josh Norman, and while his play has slipped, the Lions certainly won’t like playing against a guy who can cover like Norman has been able to through the years. Otherwise, Washington is fairly healthy for the matchup all things considered, minus Daron Payne and Vernon Davis and Chris Thompson.
Lions vs. Redskins Primer
Detroit and Washington will get things going at 1 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on Fox, with Kenny Albert, Ronde Barber on the call and Lindsay Czarniak providing updates from the sidelines. Detroit opened as a narrow favorite for the contest, and that has held through the week. The game will be generally evenly matched, and while the Redskins have had troubles this season, Detroit is still dinged up in a big way and missing Matthew Stafford. This game might ride on what happens with the pass rush, because Washington does have a fearless young quarterback that can make plenty of plays on the field. This will challenge the Lions defense, which has been terrible most of this season and only seems to be getting worse as the year pushes on. If the Lions can measure up and get a solid game out of their second string player who will play, they should be able to win a game on the road for the first time in weeks.
With the inactives now in, it’s nearly game time for the Lions and the Redskins.
READ NEXT: Referee Revealed for Lions vs. Redskins