Getty Julian Okwara after a Notre Dame game.
The Detroit Lions have to turn the page fast after a very upsetting loss at home in Week 1, and their challenge only grows in Week 2 in the division.
This week, the Lions must head to visit the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. It will be odd for the team to face a game without its customary rowdy crowd, but that could be just what Detroit needs in order to tip the scales in their direction considering all the other problems injury wise.
Detroit was already without some big guns, and now a few more names have been added to the list of those sitting down. Here’s a look at this week’s inactive list for Detroit.
Lions Inactives
Kenny Golladay, WR
Desmond Trufant, CB
Chris Jones, CB
Halapoulivaati Vaitai, OL
Hunter Bryant, TE
Nick Williams, DL
Julian Okwara, Edge
Lions-Packers Inactives Analysis
Obviously, the Lions will be in tough shape without Golladay, Trufant and Dahl and missing a pair of solid offensive weapons to start the season is bad news. Losing Vaitai isn’t great, either. It’s a surprise to see Okwara sit up front too, given he is one of the team’s top picks from the 2020 class. The Lions have started the season with several injuries and many are of the hamstring or leg variety. The Lions will have to get healthy in the coming weeks and shake off this struggle quickly, because injuries derailed their 2019 season in a significant way. They cannot afford to let this happen again this season, and already they are playing a significant role for the team.
From the Green Bay perspective, lineman Kenny Clark is a big loss along the defensive front which will be significant news as they try to slow down Detroit’s running game and pressure the pocket as well. Other than Clark, the Packers will be without Lane Taylor on their offensive front. For these purposes, however, Clark is likely the biggest loss considering the premium placed on pressuring the pocket and stopping the run, especially with the fact that Detroit has been unhealthy in the trenches. This will be a big challenge for both sides.
Lions vs. Packers Primer
Detroit and Green Bay will tangle at 1 p.m. EST on Fox Sports. The game will be broadcast by Chris Myere, Greg Jennings, Brock Huard and Jennifer Hale who will handle sideline duties for the telecast.
Coming into this game, the Lions will have to make sure that they can slow down the elite Packers passing attack, led by elite wideout Davante Adams. Adams had a big Week 1, which means the Lions will have to find a way to keep the damage limited from the passing game. Additionally, the Lions will have to ride Adrian Peterson on offense and give him more of a work load, especially after how well he played during the first week of the season. As a whole, the Lions are major underdogs for this game, which makes sense given it is on the road and the team collapsed in Week 1 at home. An unfortunate familiar face in Clete Blakeman will call the action as a referee. He presided over last year’s mess.
With the revealing of these inactives, it’s almost time for Bears vs. Packers to kick off Week 2.
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