The Lions made some surprising inactive decisions against the Bills, and one of them is especially hard to understand
Detroit is sitting several young defenders who looked like candidates for bigger roles in Week 2, including one rookie who flashed in the opener.
The Detroit Lions will play the Buffalo Bills here in less than two hours, but first we need to talk about the guys who will not be playing in this game. We already know both Blake Miller and Christian Mahogany are out; now let’s take a look at who else is out and talk about some of the notable missing players.
Ennis Rakestraw
Considering how the Lions’ secondary played on Sunday, this is not a great look for Rakestraw to not get a shot here in this game. It does say a lot about how they feel about the guys they have playing, though. It points to the idea that they see Sunday as an anomaly instead of the usual thing to be expected.
Ahmed Hassanein
Sunday made some sense since the Saints are a little more run-heavy, but I don’t get sitting Hassanein on Thursday against a Bills team you need to bring all the pass-rush you can bring against. I really thought we’d see a lot of Hassanein this season, and maybe we will at some point, but two weeks in and he has to play a down. It’s just not the call I thought they’d make.
Keith Abney
I don’t get this one either. Yes, Abney only played 17 snaps in Week 1, but he played well in those 17 snaps, and I thought he would get a little more opportunity in Week 2. Especially since he kind of added an extra pass rusher to the mix as a corner blitzer.
Jimmy Rolder
Just like Sunday, there’s nothing to worry about here. The Lions usually like a three-week ramp-up period, and he’s only actually practiced for one week since coming back. There’s probably a much better chance of him going against the Jets next week.
NFL