The Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions will announce their inactive players 90 minutes before kickoff on Thanksgiving Day, or roughly 10:30 a.m. CT. This post will update as more information on player availability is known and official gameday inactives for Week 13 are announced.
The Packers and Lions are both dealing with long, impactful injury lists entering Thursday’s showdown. Matt LaFleur’s team ruled out four players and had eight total players with status designations on the final injury report released Wednesday, while Dan Campbell’s team ruled out five players and had 13 total players with status designations. The war of attrition is here for two teams battling in the race for the NFC North crown.
One can imagine the mini-bye week following a Thursday game will be hugely beneficial for both sides, but first a football game — and a really important one in late November — needs to be played at Ford Field.
Which team will better weather the injury storm on Thanksgiving Day?
Matthew Golden and Quay Walker OUT vs. Lions
The Packers will be without speedy first-round pick Matthew Golden (wrist) and starting linebacker Quay Walker(stinger) against the Lions. Both are missing their second straight games after suffering injuries against the Giants. At receiver, the Packers are down to Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Dontayvion Wicks and Malik Heath, while Isaiah McDuffie and Ty’Ron Hopper will be in the spotlight against a top running back duo.
Josh Jacobs is ACTIVE vs. Lions
As expected, Packers running back Josh Jacobs is active. He didn’t have a status designation on the final injury report. Jacobs will make his return in Detroit after missing last week’s win over the Vikings with a knee contusion.
Packers inactives vs. Lions on Thanksgiving Day
The Packers will be dealing with several big absences, although cornerback Keisean Nixon, who left Sunday’s win over the Vikings with a stinger, is active. Walker, Golden and Hobbs were all questionable to play, but it was too big of a hurdle to return to play without practice time on a short week.
Who’s IN for the Packers?
The big one first: running back Josh Jacobs. He has no status designation on the final injury report and is expected to play against the Lions. Will he be 100 percent? Probably not. Will he get a full workload in his first game back from a knee contusion? Probably not, especially after Emanuel Wilson rushed for over 100 yards on Sunday. But getting back Jacobs is big for an offense that is leaning more and more on the run game.
While the Packers had 16 different players on the injury report this week, the team ended up removing the following players on the final injury report: Jacobs, S Javon Bullard, LB Edgerrin Cooper, WR Romeo Doubs, QB Jordan Love, RT Zach Tom, WR Christian Watson and WR Dontayvion Wicks. This means they have no status designation and will play Thursday against the Lions.
Who’s OUT for the Packers?
The Packers ruled out receiver Jayden Reed, defensive end Lukas Van Ness, defensive tackle Karl Brooks and receiver Savion Williams. Reed wasn’t activated from injured reserve. Van Ness is dealing with a lingering foot injury and didn’t practice this week after playing only six snaps on Sunday. Brooks didn’t practice this week after playing only four snaps on Sunday. And Williams is finally getting a chance to heal his foot injury, which has affected him for a month now.
The Packers would have loved to get back Reed and his explosive playmaking ability against the Lions, but they’ll have to wait another week. Not having Van Ness and Brooks leaves the Packers a bit lacking on depth up front, and Williams’ absence means there will be a new kick returner on Thursday.
Who is questionable for the Packers?
The Packers listed cornerbacks Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs, linebacker Quay Walker and receiver Matthew Golden as questionable to play. That’s three preferred starters (assuming Hobbs still has that title) and a first-round pick. Nixon and Walker are attempting to return from stingers, Hobbs has missed three straight games and hasn’t had a real practice in over a month, and Golden has a wrist injury that kept him out last week. All four could be in the “game-time decision” bucket. The inactive list on Thursday morning will be an important one to watch.
What injuries are the Lions dealing with?
Like the Packers, the Lions are a bit mangled. Pro Bowl tight end Sam LaPorta and starting guard Christian Mahogany are on injured reserve, and the Lions ruled out All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph, starting center Graham Glasgow, tight end Brock Wright, receiver/returner Kalif Raymond, and edge rusher Josh Paschal. Eight others are questionable, including three starters along the offensive line (left tackle Taylor Decker, right guard Tate Ratledge and right tackle Penei Sewell). The Lions could get back cornerback Terrion Arnold, but he hasn’t yet passed concussion protocol and is questionable.
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This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers vs. Lions: Who’s in, who’s out for Thanksgiving Day?
Reporting by Zach Kruse, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
