As the Detroit Lions prepare for their crucial Week 18 game against the Minnesota Vikings, the hope is that they’ll get some key players back from injury at some point in the playoffs.
The Lions can wrap up the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye with a win over the Vikings, which means they have to play one less game without their injured players who have a chance to return in the postseason.
Based on reports, there’s a total of five injured players who have a shot to make it back at some point in the postseason. The list of five players includes running back David Montgomery, edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, linebacker Derrick Barnes and cornerbacks Carlton Davis and Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but there’s hope for a Lions team that has been ravaged by injuries this season. Here’s what we know about each of the five aforementioned players.
David Montgomery injury update
Initially believed to have suffered a season-ending torn MCL, Montgomery is now expected to be back by the divisional round of the playoffs after getting more opinions, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“And then there’s David Montgomery. It was announced earlier this week that David Montgomery was gonna be out for the season with surgery on his MCL. He sought three high-level medical opinions. The prevailing opinion was no surgery,” Rapoport said last month. “He is now going to rehab with a realistic goal of being back for the divisional round of the playoffs, so about a month from now for Montgomery.”
It remains to be seen if Montgomery can make it back a week early if the Lions have to play in the wild-card round. Let’s just hope we don’t have to find out.
Aidan Hutchinson injury update
Nothing has changed for the Lions’ star edge rusher, whose goal is to return from a broken tibia and fibula by the Super Bowl if the Lions make it that far.
“I’m on track for my goal of returning for the Super Bowl,” Hutchinson said. “And so, I keep telling all the boys when I see them in the (Lions) facility, ‘you’ve just to get there. And I promise you I’m going to be back.'”
Carlton Davis injury update
After suffering a fractured jaw in Week 15, Davis was given a timetable to return of six weeks, which puts him in play for the NFC Championship Game or Super Bowl, assuming Detroit advances in the playoffs.
However, head coach Dan Campbell didn’t exactly paint a rosy picture the last time he spoke about his veteran cornerback.
“I’d say nothing has changed. As of right now, it doesn’t look optimistic to get him back,” Campbell said of Davis. “Doesn’t mean he won’t, but I don’t foresee that right now.”
