The Lions will have several of their players who were listed as questionable available for Sunday’s matchup with the Eagles.
Left tackle Taylor Decker, right tackle Penei Sewell, receiver Isaac TeSlaa, tight end Brock Wright, cornerback Amik Robetson, and running back Sione Vaki are all active after they were listed as questionable for the contest.
The Lions will not have cornerback Terrion Arnold, safety Kerby Joseph, running back Craig Reynolds, defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson, defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo, and receiver Tom Kennedy available as they are all inactive.
For the Eagles, running back A.J. Dillon, quarterback Sam Howell, offensive lineman Drew Kendall, cornerback Mac McWilliams, and defensive tackle Ty Robinson are inactive.
Last Sunday, no one knew Dan Campbell would be taking over offensive playcalling duties with the Lions. This Sunday, he’s making it clear that he’ll won’t be giving up the role.
Campbell told Jay Glazer of Fox Sports that the head coach will continue to call plays for the rest of the season, wresting the job from offensive coordinator John Morton.
Morton became the offensive coordinator and playcaller after Ben Johnson was hired to coach the Bears.
It’s the second time Campbell has called plays. During his first season with the Lions, in 2021, Campbell took the playcalling duties from former offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn. Campbell had not been a playcaller during his time as an assistant coach.
Last week, it worked well against Washington. It likely will be a little more difficult on Sunday night at Philadelphia, where the 7-2 Eagles await.
Nine months ago, they were celebrating a Super Bowl win. In recent days, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and receiver A.J. Brown got together for different reasons.
Sal Paolantonio of ESPN.com reports that Lurie and Brown met this week “to hash out the star wide receiver’s public frustration over his role in Philadelphia’s offense.”
The meeting, which was first mentioned on Thursday by John Clark of NBC 10 in Philadelphia, was coordinated by jack-of-all-trades Dom DiSandro and lasted 10 minutes. As Paolantonio explains it, Brown promised Lurie to stop complaining on social media. Brown nevertheless told Lurie that he “just wants to be a part of the offense and is frustrated.”
Brown’s deeper message is that the offense isn’t doing enough to improve, and that winning games despite not moving the ball effectively is a mere “Band-Aid.” His comments during a midweek press availability made it clear that he believes winning isn’t good enough if the offense isn’t getting better. Which seemed to be a direct refutation of quarterback Jalen Hurts’s comments after Monday night’s 10-7 win at Green Bay, which featured an offensive performance that lacked flow or consistency or identity.
That’s the relationship, or lack of one, that seems to be residing at the heart of Brown not getting the ball more often. Receiver and quarterback, not truly on the same page. Whether the reasons are professional or personal or some of both, until Hurts starts getting the ball more often to Brown when Brown is facing single coverage, the situation will linger.
And Brown’s promise to the owner will be tested in those quiet moments when Brown’s frustrations float toward the surface.
Late in the fourth quarter of Monday’s 10-7 win by the Eagles over the Packers, Philadelphia faced a second and seven from its own 44. Running back Saquon Barkley got the handoff, with a chance to break free.
Enter Packers linebacker Micah Parsons. More specifically, enter his leg. Parsons tripped Barkley, causing him to fall down short of the line to gain.
Parsons was not penalized. He was, however, fined $12,172 by the league office. No flag was thrown.
Barkley gained five yards on the next snap, giving the Eagles a fresh set of downs. But the Eagles should have gotten 15 yards of field position, which would have come with a first and 10 from Green Bay’s 35.
The drive eventually sputtered on the Green Bay 35, on a fourth-and-six play that saw the Eagles take a shot at the end zone. When it failed, the Packers received one last chance to win the game in regulation or to force overtime, with 27 seconds to play.
The Lions ruled tight end Sam LaPorta out for Sunday’s game against the Eagles on Friday and they ruled him out for at least three more games on Saturday.
LaPorta has been placed on injured reserve as part of several roster moves the Lions announced on Saturday afternoon. LaPorta is dealing with a back injury and will not be able to return until Week 15 at the earliest.
Brock Wright and Ross Dwelley are the remaining tight ends on the active roster.
The Lions also released defensive lineman Pat O’Connor and signed offensive lineman Michael Niese to the 53-man roster. Wide receivers Tom Kennedy and Jackson Meeks have been elevated from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.
