Getty Rick Wagner blocks for Kerryon Johnson.
The Detroit Lions are ready to finish off the 2019 season, and they remain in bad injury shape to do so as they welcome the Green Bay Packers to town for the season finale.
Detroit and Green Bay are two teams heading in very different directions, and that’s not just true in terms of the standings. One team is much healthier than the other, and as expected, that team doesn’t reside at Ford Field as their permanent home.
Who will be in and out for this contest? Here’s a look at some of the names that will be sidelined in the final game of the year in Week 17.
Lions Inactives
T Rick Wagner
DT A’Shawn Robinson
CB Michael Jackson
RB Wes Hills
G Caleb Benenoch
DE Jonathan Wynn
CB Dee Virgin
Lions Inactives Analysis
The Lions have seen most of their team hit injured reserve for this season ending battle, and obviously, losing A’Shawn Robinson before the week didn’t help them in terms of depth up front. Otherwise, the team will be missing Wagner in a big way, and that’s a big loss considering how poorly Detroit’s offensive line has played in recent weeks. David Blough has gotten beat up, and without Wagner, it seems like a likely outcome for the team to see their quarterback under siege once again. The good news? Devon Kennard, at the very least, will be playing. Having him is huge for the defense as he is one of the only pass rushers the team has left for a very needy defense that hasn’t done well in recent weeks whatsoever.
Detroit doesn’t have many players left for the finale, but they will be missing two key linemen up front, which is bad news given how solid the Packers are on the lines and in the trenches for the most part during this season.
In terms of Green Bay, the Packers will be down running back Jamaal Williams as well as fullback Danny Vitale, and those will be tough losses for the team given how solid both have been thus far in 2019.
Lions vs. Packers Primer
The Lions and Packers will tangle at 1 p.m. EST from Ford Field in Detroit. Kevin Burkhardt and Charles Davis will call the game for Fox, with Pam Oliver on the sidelines. The Lions don’t have anything on the line except draft positioning, but the Packers have things on the line in terms of seeding, which makes fans of the New Orleans Saints big Detroit fans. In order to pull off the win, Detroit will need to do better on Za’Darius Smith and make sure he doesn’t take over the game. They will also need to make sure that Aaron Jones doesn’t explode, as he could set big time Packer records in this game. As a whole, it’s a big day for one team, but perhaps not the other.
With the reveal of these inactives, it’s almost time to kick off Lions vs. Packers in the final week of the 2019 NFL season.
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