Detroit Lions inactives vs. Patriots: Two key players are in, but one rookie is a surprising scratch in Germany
The Lions have good news on Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sione Vaki ahead of their game against New England in Germany, but the inactive list includes a surprising decision involving rookie Keith Abney.
Wake up!! The Detroit Lions will play the New England Patriots in Munich, Germany, in just a little bit, but first we need to talk about who the Lions won’t have in this game. Here’s this week’s inactives, as well as who is in:
IN
Amon-Ra St. Brown
I don’t know why the Lions even bothered to make him questionable. I understand he had three limited practices in a row, but come on, man, there was no way he was missing this thing. If he had a severed leg, he’d sew it back on and get out there for this one. He’s been wanting to play this exact game his whole life, basically.
Sione Vaki
Vaki missed Wednesday and Thursday and then had a limited practice on Friday, but he’s a go in this game. This one made sense since the Lions didn’t elevate Jabari Small on Saturday. You have to wonder how many carries he might get. He had just three carries against the Dolphins after popping up on the injury report with this ankle injury.
Owen Pappoe
We’re going to get to see Pappoe’s Lions debut in this one. There’s a little bit of excitement for this one since Pappoe’s athletic numbers are just off the charts. My guess is we mostly see him on special teams, but it would be good to see him in coverage out there with that 4.39 speed he has.
Andre Cisco
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Cisco would play this week, but now we know it’s official. The new safety they just traded for will hit the field. We’ll see how much. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said he picked everything up very fast.
OUT
D.J. Reed and Cade Mays
Both Reed and Mays missed the entire week of practice and were ruled out before the Lions left for Munich. They both stayed back in Detroit. You have to hope the Lions can get Reed back for the next 12 days, during which the Lions have to fit in three games.
Keith Abney
That’s one that feels unexpected. The thought was that with Andre Cisco in town now, Abney would head back to cornerback a little bit. Maybe that’s the goal, but it might be a long-term one. He will be a healthy scratch this week. With Kerby Joseph potentially coming back next week, Abney’s time at safety seems pretty much done this year.
Ahmed Hassanein, Mekhi Wingo, Amen Ogbongbemiga
All three of these guys seemed destined to be scratches this week. Hassanein and Wingo have still not touched the field, and with Pappoe playing, Ogbongbemiga made sense to miss this one.
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