The Detroit Lions are Super Bowl hopefuls, with a crucial game in Week 15. The Lions (12-1) will host the Buffalo Bills (10-3) in a matchup between two championship contenders.
The Lions are on fire, having won 11 games in a row, and they are eager to secure the NFC’s top seed. Detroit have a one-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles, who are 11-2.
With the next four games on the schedule critical, the Lions received some encouraging injury news on Friday.
Detroit Will Have Multiple Key Players Back in Week 15
According to Lions beat writer Nolan Bianchi, OT Taylor Decker, DL Alim McNeill, DL Josh Paschal, DL Levi Onwuzurike, and DL DJ Reader are all off the injury report. They will be taking the field against the Bills, giving the Lions some extra juice.
Decker hurt his knee against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12, which caused him to miss two games. He is a physical force in the run game while being solid in pass pro. According to PFF, he has a 73.8 overall grade.
The biggest reinforcements come along the defensive line. McNeill is a beast along the interior but suffered a concussion in the win over the Packers in Week 14. This season, he has compiled 24 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.
Meanwhile, both Paschal (knee) and Onwuzurike (hamstring) got hurt in the Thanksgiving Day game against the Chicago Bears, causing them to miss the Week 14 matchup against the Packers.
Paschal leads all the defensive ends on the team in snaps (358) with Onwuzurike logging the second-most snaps along the interior (448). In 2024, Paschal has 19 tackles and two sacks. Onwuzurike has notched 19 stops and 1.5 sacks.
Reader was the third player to get injured against the Bears. He suffered a shoulder injury that forced him to miss Week 14. The Clemson product has 18 tackles and three sacks under his belt this season.
Getting all these reinforcements right before a big-time showdown against the Bills is huge for Detroit and could pay dividends for them.