Entering the season, many thought Sunday's Week 6 matchup between the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs would be a Super Bowl preview. The Chiefs were obviously the team to beat in the AFC given their postseason success in the Patrick Mahomes era, and why couldn't this have been the year that the powerful Lions broke through in the NFC?
Well, the Lions have held up their end of the bargain, winning four of their first five games, but the same cannot be said about the 2-3 Chiefs. Kansas City has gotten off to a sluggish start to its season, but its offense has perked up the last couple of weeks, and we all know what its defense is capable of. They're starting to round into form ever so slowly.
The records might not be where we expected them to be, but Sunday's game should be a thriller. In fact, the margin of victory could be so slim to the point where the injury reports could dictate who the winner will be.
With that in mind, here's a look at the Sunday Night Football inactives and which injuries matter the most.
Lions official inactives for Week 6 vs. Chiefs
Player | Position | Injury | Week 6 Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Terrion Arnold | CB | Shoulder | OUT |
Zach Cunningham | LB | Hamstring | OUT |
Taylor Decker | OL | Shoulder | OUT |
Avonte Maddox | DB | Hamstring | OUT |
Giovanni Manu | OL | Knee | OUT |
Alim McNeill | DT | Knee | OUT |
Sione Vaki | RB | Groin | OUT |
Brian Branch | DB | Ankle | Questionable |
Kerby Joseph | S | Knee | Questionable |
Kalif Raymond | WR | Neck | Questionable |
The Lions have a very substantial injury report ahead of Sunday's game with seven players already ruled out and three more listed as questionable. While the Taylor Decker injury in particular hurts on the offensive side of the ball, especially with Giovanni Manu also hurt, their offense should be fine, especially with Amon-Ra St. Brown taken off the injury report.
Where the injuries are really felt defensively are in the secondary. Terrion Arnold, one of their starting corners, is ruled out with a shoulder injury, and Avonte Maddox, a backup, is also out with a hamstring injury. As if that isn't bad enough, Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, Detroit's star safety duo, are both questionable with injuries. The fact that they haven't been ruled out yet is somewhat encouraging, but the fact that they're still questionable suggests that they'll be nowhere near 100 percent in this game. Slowing Mahomes down with practically the entire secondary being depleted will be a tough task.
The most surprising injury on this list is Alim McNeill, who will miss his seventh straight game as he continues to recover from a Torn ACL suffered last season. McNeill missing another game isn't overly shocking considering the injury he's coming back from, but he was listed as a full participant in practice all week. The Lions are being overly cautious, and while that might hurt them in this game, it's hard to blame them given their ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl.
Chiefs official inactives for Week 6 vs. Lions
Player | Position | Injury | Week 6 Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Josh Simmons | OL | Personal | Questionable |
The Chiefs had several players, including Patrick Mahomes, listed on their injury report earlier this week, but the only player on the injury report hours before kickoff is Josh Simmons, who wasn't even on the injury report during the week.
Simmons, Kansas City's rookie left tackle, was a late addition to the injury report and is listed as questionable for personal reasons. If he cannot play, there's a good chance Jaylon Moore or Wanya Morris will take his spot.
One of the few positives Chiefs fans have had to lean on thus far this season is the improved offensive line, and Simmons has played a huge role in that. If he has to miss this game, the Chiefs might have trouble keeping Mahomes upright against Aidan Hutchinson and Co., making it tough for them to generate enough offense to win this game.