The Detroit Lions’ secondary is in a very precarious spot heading into Sunday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Lions are already without DJ Reed, who is still on IR with a hamstring injury, and are on the verge of not having Terrion Arnold, who is in the league’s concussion protocol. Arnold received a second-straight DNP on Thursday. Then there’s Kerby Joseph, who is battling a knee injury and likely won’t play, making it his fourth-straight missed game.
The Lions’ defense was already going to be tested by the Eagles' WRs, just without those three guys. But now there’s a chance that the Lions might not have Amik Robertson. According to Richard Silva of The Detroit News, Robertson popped up on the injury report with a hamstring injury and was listed as limited.
If you’re a Lions fan, this is the last thing you wanted to hear just days before this weekend’s game against the defending Super Bowl champs. Without Reed and Arnold on the field, Robertson is Detroit’s best CB, but now that’s in jeopardy.
Amik Robertson Enters Danger Zone Just Days Before Week 11 Clash vs. Eagles
This season, the veteran cornerback has played admirably, as the Lions have needed him to play in the slot, as well as on the boundary. Across nine games (five starts), Robertson has posted a 65.2 completion percentage allowed on targets, a 109.1 passer rating allowed when targeted, while giving up four touchdowns.
If Robertson can’t play or is limited, that will not be good for the Lions’ defense, which gave up some explosive plays in the deep passing game against the Washington Commanders last week.
Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News reported on Thursday that Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard was not happy with the amount of explosives and felt like Detroit should’ve played a more dominant game than they did.
Best believe the Eagles will try to take advantage of the Lions’ injury-ravaged secondary, as they have one of the better WR duos in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. We know Brown has struggled this season, but that won’t stop the Eagles from attacking the Lions’ backup CBs if given the chance.
Therefore, it will be important for Rock Ya-Sin, Avonte Maddox, Arthur Maulet, and possibly Nick Whiteside II to be on their A-game if called upon for more playing time. Lions fans hope that this unit can replicate their Week 7 performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which saw the reserves step up in huge moments to help capture a win.