Will Injured Detroit Lions Players Suit Up Against Chiefs?

Lots of key decisions will be made regarding injured players.

Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill (54) walks of the field after practice during training camp at Meijer Performance Center | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions have several key decisions to make on injured players, before they take the field to play the Kansas City Chiefs.

Key players have missed practice and also new players showed up on the injury report later in the week.

Speaking to reporters, head coach Dan Campbell indicated safety Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch would be game-time decisions.

They, along with left tackle Taylor Decker and defensive back Avonte Maddox, are not expected to practice on Friday.

For Branch, Detroit's fifth-year head coach was optimistic they could get him to the game and play, but could not guarantee it. He was reportedly scheduled to get an MRI on his injured ankle. He was seen hobbling in the locker room after practice on Thursday.

Campbell indicated last week that Alim McNeill had a 50 percent chance of suiting up against the Bengals. This week, when asked about the defensive tackle's availability, indicated it was now at 51 percent.

If he does suit up, he would be on a limited snap count of around 20-25 snaps. McNeill has yet to appear in a game this season, but has been a full participant at practice this week.

McNeill's potential return could aid the defense to play a complete 60 minutes. Against the Bengals, the team's defense allowed multiple touchdowns in the fourth-quarter before the game was out of reach.

Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard indicated that even though starting cornerback Terrion Arnold departed the game, it was not an excuse to let up defensively.

"But for 51, 52 plays I thought we played at an incredibly high level as a defense," said Sheppard. "We allowed 14 points in the last 13 plays of the game - obviously that can’t happen. And I don’t want to hear the narrative of, ‘T.A. left the game. This guy left the game.’ I told you guys from the start we have a 69-man roster. If you have one of those spots, you’re expected to come in and hold the line of the standard that the starters have set in place since training camp.

"But I can’t speak enough on these guys," Sheppard added. "These players, what a privilege and honor it is to coach this group. Like it really is. It’s no task too big, no task too small for these guys. They understand their roles week-to-week, and these guys are going out and adapting and adjusting week-to-week to the gameplans that us as a staff put together for them.”