When the Detroit Lions visit the Los Angeles Chargers on November 12, they will be without veteran offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai.
Vaitai was ruled out of the Week 10 game by the team on Friday, citing a back injury. The Lions may also be without another key defensive lineman as they look to extend their lead atop the NFC North and get closer to their first playoff appearance in seven years.
Injuries have hampered a veteran offensive lineman.
According to SI.com’s John Maakaron, Vaitai has been dealing with injuries for the majority of the season, missing two games due to separate injuries.
“Vaitai has been out of the starting lineup since suffering an injury in week two,” he wrote. “He returned to action with his first offensive snaps against Baltimore in Week 7 but is now dealing with a back injury.”
Despite the injury, Lions head coach Dan Campbell was upbeat about the team’s trip to California.
“I think they’ll be fine.” Look, I believe they will enjoy this. They get to kick their feet up on the plane, have fluids, take a nap, watch a movie, and look over your playbook. So I think they’ll be fine,” Campbell said. “I believe we will have worked hard this week.” This is a trip I believe they are looking forward to. Then you get up at your leisure on Sunday, and we go play. So I believe we’ll be fine.”
Lions Defensive Tackle Will Probably Miss Game
The Lions are also dealing with a front-line injury, with defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. The 26-year-old was a healthy scratch for the last two games and has been a limited contributor this season, with only two tackles.
Despite his limited impact, Lions defensive line coach John Scott believes the 25-year-old has a promising future.
“With Levi, I think we sometimes forget, Levi basically missed a year and a half of football,” Scott told the Detroit Free Press on November 7. “That’s a huge learning curve when you’re not able to get out on the field, so Levi’s another guy that he has some great talent and we see progression every day.”
Wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones is also listed as questionable by the Lions, while guard Jonah Jackson and center Frank Ragnow are expected to play despite being listed on the injury report.
“We’ll see where he’s at and how he feels,” Campbell told SI.com of Peoples-Jones. “It feels like we’ve gotten everyone back. Frank and Jonah appear to be in good shape, and the other three appear to be in good shape as well. So we’re now back to full strength.”
