The Detroit Lions are headed to Germany to play the New England Patriots on Sunday. They have turned things around after a slow start and are riding a four-game winning streak. Keeping the positive momentum going against the reigning AFC champions will set the Lions up well in the final stretch of the season.
One of the biggest questions that arose in the Week 9 win over the Dolphins was the state of the offensive line. This was in large part due to the unexpected benching of Christian Mahogany ahead of the game. Miles Frazier stepped in and started at left guard. It can't all be blamed on him, to be sure, but the Lions' offensive line had their worst game of the season.
It was revealed that Mahogany was demoted for disciplinary reasons. He reportedly broke a team rule multiple times and left head coach Dan Campbell with no choice but to punish him.
As of Thursday, we still don't know what team rule Mahogany broke. But Campbell put the ball in Mahogany's court in his remarks to the press and said it would be up to the offensive lineman to get himself back on the field.
Christian Mahogany will take back his starting spot at left guard
On Wednesday, Mahogany spoke about the situation for the first time. He apologized to the team and told the media, "It sucks what happened, but I have to grow up and stop breaking team rules. I let my teammates down, I let my organization down and it won’t ever happen again," per Lions insider Brad Galli.
Following this, Campbell said that Mahogany will be back with the starters along the offensive line. He was then seen getting first-team reps in practice, which suggests that he should be in line to get his starting spot back on Sunday.
This is how elite teams handle these issues: Don't let it spill out of the locker room, keep your players accountable, and resolve issues internally. There was no need for this to be blown out of proportion, and it's commendable that the details of the situation weren't leaked to the media.
Now it's up to Mahogany to put his money where his mouth is. He has been playing very well since the start of the season, and it would be a real shame if he couldn't maintain this momentum for disciplinary reasons, especially considering that he will be extension-eligible next summer.
This also bodes well for the Lions' offensive line. Cade Mays is still injured, but Juice Scruggs has been playing well at center. With Mahogany back at left guard, Jared Goff will hopefully be more comfortable against the Patriots' defensive line.
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