Lions O-line in trouble vs. 49ers after Decker injures hand

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With Nick Bosa, Dee Ford and the 49ers coming to town to open the NFL season Sunday, the Detroit Lions need their offensive line to be at its best in order to have a chance to spring the upset.

But Lions head coach Dan Campbell announced Friday that left tackle Taylor Decker injured his hand during practice and is unlikely to play Sunday.

With Decker likely out, the Lions will have to reshuffle their offensive line in his absence. They could move rookie tackle Penei Sewell over from right tackle to left tackle and have Matt Nelson play right tackle. Or they could have Sewell play left tackle, shift Halapoulivaati Vaitai from right guard to right tackle and slot in Logan Stenberg at RG. They could also leave Sewell at right tackle and have Nelson play left tackle.

Given Sewell's pedigree as a left tackle, he might be their best option at keeping the likes of Bosa, Ford and Arik Armstead from getting to quarterback Jared Goff. But Sewell has spent all of summer and training camp learning to play right tackle, so the Lions might want to keep at the position they envision him playing long term.

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No matter what the Lions decide to do, having to change up your offensive line 48 hours before kickoff against one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL isn't an ideal situation to be in.

The 49ers' defense has had Goff's number in recent years, and with the Lions potentially protecting his blindside with either a rookie or a backup with 242 career snaps, the Lions could be in for a long day Sunday.

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