The 4-2 Detroit Lions hope to string together back-to-back division victories when they face the undefeated 6-0 Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. There will be no excuses from a health standpoint as all players on the Lions active roster should be available.
Kerby Joseph is not technically on the active roster, but he did open his 21-day practice window off PUP today. Dan Campbell explained the situation with Kerby in good detail today in his press conference. Here are some of his key quotes.
We’ll kind of progress him as we go each week here.
The strength in the knee is good - the thigh, the quad, all of that.
We still got a ways to go but this is a step in the right direction.
It was always about getting that leg strength equal to that other leg. That’s part of your shock absorbers. That reduces some of the stress on the knee.
You’re doing a little more pounding. Is there swelling, is there not?
We try to mimic as much football, but we can’t do football.
Now that he’s passed all those tests, it’s about getting him out there. Balls in the air, it’s a handoff, him breaking from the post and doing it over and over and over in real explosive reps with real bodies around. We’re not even there yet. We’ll be progressing into that late week, next week.
The rest is how does he react to football.
Dan Campbell lays it all out here very clearly for Kerby. While it’s great news that he is healthy enough to start practicing for the first time this calendar year, it’s still unknown if his knee can handle true football activities. We’ll find out in the next 2-3 weeks or so.
My Lions IR/PUP/NFI Tracker has been updated with Kerby’s status.
Tomorrow, I’ll do more of a breakdown of Dan Campbell’s words regarding Kerby. In the meantime, here’s the initial injury report for Lions vs Vikings. There was one surprise here with Jahmyr Gibbs, whose left knee/ankle did not get listed on the report (good), but a shoulder did get listed (bad).
Lions vs Vikings Initial Injury Report
🔴No practice (NP)
🟡Limited practice (LP)
🟢Full practice (FP)
* Current starter
DETROIT LIONS (open -3, current -3.5)
🔴 *Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR - Ankle
Projection: In
Dan Campbell today stated: “Saint is doing good.”
After reviewing all his plays from last game, I found nothing of concern. See my story from two days ago for the possible videos of his ankle sprain.
Dan Campbell said on Monday that the tentative plan was to have ARSB practice on Thursday.
🔴 *Jahmyr Gibbs, RB - Shoulder
Projection: Likely in
It’s really good news that his left ankle and knee avoided any surprise injury after his awkward end-of-game “slide”.
The shoulder listing is a surprise as there was no indication of an issue during the last game. While there are no signs of anything to worry about right now, this is an example of why the Lions need to reduce his touches. He’s on pace for 470 touches this season, which would be second-most in NFL history. That’s a lot of pounding on a shoulder, not to mention all his other body parts.
🔴 *Tyleik Williams, DT - Illness
Projection: In
An early-week illness rarely keeps a player out. As long as it’s not something unusual like appendicitis or mono (Christian Mahogany 2024).
🔴 *Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE - Rest
🔴 *Alim McNeill, EDGE - Rest
🔴 *Penei Sewell, LT - Rest
🔴 *DJ Wonnum, EDGE - Rest
🟡 *Kerby Joseph, S - Left knee
Projection: Out
Dan Campbell basically stated today that Joseph would not be ready for a game this Sunday as his knee is going to be tested with a ramp-up over the next 2-3 weeks.
🟡 Ennis Rakestraw, CB - Left ankle
Projection: In
Dan Campbell today stated: “Ennis is doing good.” The LP confirms that the ankle is not serious.
I went back and reviewed all of Rakestraw’s plays to try to find the moment of injury. Here’s what I found:
In the 1st half, Rakestraw wore these cool-looking, blue-speckled cleats…
During halftime, he switched to plain Adidas 3-stripe cleats. Here he is in the first drive of the 3rd quarter…
At the 5-minute mark of the 3rd quarter, his left ankle is seen spatted on punt-return duty….
At the 13:18 of the 4th quarter, you can see he pulls himself out of the game after this play…
I did not find a moment of injury. At no point did he go down or show a limp.
Since we now know this is a left ankle injury, it could be an aggravation of the left low-ankle sprain he suffered two months ago in preseason. If so, that’s not a major concern. He should be able to tape it up and play through vs the Vikings.
🟡 Jacob Saylors, RB - Neck
Projection: Lean in
I didn’t see an injury to Saylors during the game, but special teams injuries are extremely hard to spot. While a neck can sometimes be of very serious concern because it can be a spine, the LP reassures that it’s probably just a soft tissue strain/sprain.
Notables Unlisted
🔴Isiah Pacheco, RB - After back surgery for a nerve impingement in August, he was placed on IR. There is a possibility he returns in December, but that’s no sure thing.
🔴Devin White, LB - He’s been on IR since his forearm fracture on October 11. There is a good chance he’s ready to play in about a month.
🔴Thomas Harper, S - On IR for an ankle, Harper has missed the last four games. He is now eligible to start his 21-day practice window. It’s not a good sign that he did not have his window opened at the first opportunity. If he doesn’t practice this week, he’s likely out for at least 2-3 more weeks. The median return-to-play in 2025 was Day 16 of the practice window.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
🔴 *Aaron Jones, RB - Knee
This past Sunday, Jones may have aggravated an MCL injury from earlier. Head coach Kevin O’Connell sounded confident that he would be available vs the Lions. Jones has 436 yards rushing this season.
🔴 *Joe Huber, OG - Knee
Huber has started in place of Donovan Jackson, who was lost for the season in Week 4. Kevin O’Connell said he was “not overly concerned” about Huber’s knee today.
🟡 *Brian O’Neill, OT - Knee
O’Neill played 100% of snaps last game, so this knee shouldn’t keep him out with a LP.
Notables Unlisted
🟢*Caleb Banks, DT - This 1st-round rookie limped off last game, but appears to be fine. He’s a rookie who carried a major red flag in pre-draft due to multiple foot surgeries. Here was my pre-draft medical report for Banks.
🔴*Donovan Jackson, OG - This starter is out for the season after a meniscus injury in Week 4.
🔴Josh Oliver, TE - A torn biceps in Week 3 put him on IR.