Lions Offensive Lineman To Be 'Out for a While'

The Detroit Lions endured the definition of a rough second half on the injury front Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. And the Lions’ offensive line proved to be the most affected by the injury bug.

For starters, Detroit starting left tackle Taylor Decker was hurt in the third quarter of the NFC North divisional contest.

Decker limped off the field, receiving the aid of trainers, after appearing to get rolled up on as Jared Goff took a sack on the opposite side of the line. He was ruled questionable to return with a knee injury.

Veteran reserve Dan Skipper replaced the longtime starter at left tackle.

Decker has also dealt with a shoulder injury that has bothered him all season. It caused him to miss multiple games in October: Week 5 against the Bengals and Week 6 against the Chiefs.

Decker did return to the game in the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, right guard Tate Ratledge exited the divisional battle with a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter. He was briefly replaced by Kayode Awosika before re-joining the action.

To make matters worse, left guard Christian Mahogany also departed the Week 9 contest prematurely. He left the game with an apparent leg injury, and proceeded to be carted off the field. Awosika slid over from right guard to left guard to fill the void created by the injured Mahogany.

"Look, Mahogany's going to be out for a while, a long time probably," Lions coach Dan Campbell said in the postgame.

The fifth-year head man didn't go as far as saying that the second-year pro will miss the rest of the season. However, he estimated that the Boston College product won't likely return until late December.

Mahogany was reportedly seen in the locker room on crutches after the game.

Detroit's offensive line struggled all game to keep Goff upright, surrendering five sacks to Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores' aggressive unit.

On top of the Lions' run-in with the injury bug along the offensive line, cornerback Terrion Arnold exited the divisional affair in the fourth quarter with a back injury.

Earlier in the game, the second-year defensive back wrestled a pass away from Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor, securing his first career interception in the process.

Arnold also battled a shoulder injury earlier in the season, missing two consecutive games (Week 6 against the Chiefs and Week 7 against the Buccaneers).

The Alabama product did return late in the fourth quarter, and produced a key pass defense against Minnesota star wideout Justin Jefferson in the red zone. Arnold finished the Week 9 matchup with three passes defensed.

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