The Detroit Lions will have their first division game of the season this Sunday, hosting the 4-2 Green Bay Packers at Ford Field for a 4:25 pm ET kickoff.
Detroit started the week early, moving their first practice from Wednesday to Tuesday, a common practice from this regime outside of a bye week. According to coach Dan Campbell, it also served the purpose of giving returning starters Brian Branch and Cade Mays a heavy workload, then giving them—and the rest of the team—Wednesday off to let their bodies recover.
“That’s one of the reasons we’re training tomorrow and not Wednesday,” Campbell said Monday. “So, we can push some of these guys a little bit because they know they’re going into a day off. I think that will help a little bit.”
And if Tuesday’s practice is any indication, the Lions will enter the pivotal Week 7 matchup with a healthy bill of health. Not only will Branch and Mays make their 2026 debuts for the team, but Tuesday’s practice in Detroit saw every single player on the active roster practice. That includes the return of reserve cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, who missed last game with a hamstring injury.
Right now, though, the Lions’ injury luck is certainly better than in years past, and they’ll need all hands on deck for a surging Packers team this week and an undefeated Vikings squad that awaits in Week 8.
We’ll have a more thorough injury report on Wednesday, when the Lions are expected to drop their first official practice assignment of the week.