(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
The Lions figure to play this game without both starting guards. Pro Bowl left guard Jonah Jackson has a concussion and is out. Right guard Evan Brown hasn’t practiced in the first two days after leaving Sunday’s win in New York with an ankle injury and it does not look promising for Thursday.
Brown is already the third-string RG. Normally the backup center, where he played very well in extended duty in 2021, Brown was only playing guard because of injuries to Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Tommy Kraemer.
Dan Skipper figures to be starting at one of the spots. Skipper has filled in at left guard several times this season. At 6-foot-10, he’s abnormally tall for playing inside, but Skipper has proven an effective run blocker as a guard.
The other spot? It could be Logan Stenberg, who badly flopped in an early trial; Stenberg’s lack of performance led to Brown being inserted as the starter. Outside of a truly outstanding two-game stint this preseason, Stenberg has not demonstrated NFL-level skills.
It could be Kayode Awosika, who has played exactly eight regular-season snaps in his two NFL seasons. Awosika, like Skipper, is nominally a tackle and is a better run blocker than pass protector. The Lions picked up Awosika from the Eagles practice squad back in September.
It could even be Darrin Paulo. The Lions brought Paulo back to the practice squad after the final roster cutdowns. Paulo has never played a regular-season snap, not even on special teams, in his three years.
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