The Detroit Lions will be without veteran offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai when they travel to take on the Los Angeles Chargers on November 12.
The team ruled out Vaitai on Friday, noting that his back injury will keep him out of the Week 10 game. The Lions could be also without another key member of the defensive line as they look to build their lead atop the NFC North and move closer to their first playoff berth in seven years.
Veteran Lineman Hampered by Injuries
As SI.com’s John Maakaron noted, Vaitai has been dealing with injuries for the majority of the season, with two absences for two separate injuries.
“Vaitai has been out of the starting lineup since suffering an injury in week two,” Maakaron wrote. “He returned to action with his first offensive snaps against Baltimore in Week 7 but is now dealing with a back injury.”
Donovan Peoples-Jones is officially QUESTIONABLE for Sunday.
Full #Lions injury report here:
Despite the injury, Lions head coach Dan Campbell had optimism about the team’s trip to the west coast.
“Yeah, I think they’ll be good. Look, I think they’re going to enjoy this. They get to kick their feet up on the plane, it’ll be a nice trip, have fluids, take a nap, watch a movie, look at your playbook. So, I think that they’ll be good,” Campbell said. “I think we will have put in a good week of work. This will be a trip that I believe they’re looking forward to. And then you wake up at your leisure Sunday and we go play. So, I think we’ll be good.”
The Lions are expected to have running back David Montgomery back in the lineup after going down in the team’s October 15 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a rib injury. Montgomery has 385 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the season.
Lions Defensive Tackle Likely Missing Game
The Lions are dealing with an injury on their defense front line as well as well, with defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game. The 26-year-old was a healthy scratch for the last two games and has been a limited contributor, making just two total tackles on the season.
Despite the limited impact, Lions defensive line coach John Scott said he believes the 25-year-old has a bright future ahead of him.
“With Levi I think we sometimes forget, Levi basically missed a year and a half of football,” Scott said on November 7, via the Detroit Free Press. “That’s a huge learning curve when you’re not able to get out on the field, so Levi’s another guy that he has some great talent and we see progression every day.”
The Lions also listed wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones as questionable, while guard Jonah Jackson and center Frank Ragnow are expected to play despite being listed on the injury report.
“We’ll see where he’s at and how he feels,” Campbell said of Peoples-Jones, via SI.com. “Feels like we have everybody back. Frank and Jonah look good and obviously the other three are in a good spot. So we’re back to full strength right now.”
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Lions Rule Out Key Offensive Veteran for Week 10