Detroit Lions RB David Montgomery, LT Taylor Decker expected to play against Green Bay
Both Taylor Decker and David Montgomery said this week they planned to play in the Detroit Lions' Thursday night game against the Green Bay Packers.
Now that it's gameday, that appears to still be the case.
Both Decker and Montgomery are expected to play when the Lions visit Lambeau Field in a showdown for first place in the NFC North, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Thursday morning. There was some initial confusion after Pelissero reported that Decker and Montgomery had been ruled out, but he quickly clarified they are expected to give it a go.
Decker and Montgomery were listed as questionable on the Lions' Wednesday injury report. Decker has missed the past two games with a high ankle sprain, while Montgomery suffered a thigh bruise in the Lions' Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and sat out last week's win over the Atlanta Falcons.
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Decker said Monday he still was dealing with pain in his right ankle, but planned to play "unless somebody who’s above me in the pecking order says differently."
"The staff is going to make the best decision for the long-term season," Decker said. "I mean I even, I’ve told the doctor and I’ve told (the training staff), I was like, 'If you guys leave it up to me I’ll play next week.' And they’re like, 'You’re not, you just can’t. you’re in a walking boot. You can’t. It’s going to be stupid. We could turn a couple-week thing into a season-long thing if you do something like that.'
The Lions did not have live practice reps this week, but held walk-throughs Monday-Wednesday before leaving for Green Bay.
Along with Decker and Montgomery, Emmanuel Moseley (knee/hamstring), Jonah Jackson (thigh) and Kerby Joseph (hip) all were listed as questionable to play Thursday and limited participants on the Lions' estimated practice report for every day this week.
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Joseph said Tuesday he still was trying to "get right" from the injury he suffered against the Seahawks. The NFL Network also reports Moseley, who has not played this season after pulling his hamstring while rehabbing from a 2022 knee injury, is not expected to play and make his season debut against the Packers.
Campbell said this week that the organization was weighing whether to play one of its top free agent additions of the offseason with limited practice reps.
"The plan is work him in and I think more than anything it’ll probably be by series, certainly give him a couple in a row there where he gets a good feel, and I think probably most of it’ll be, we’ll put a governor on his reps so that we’re smart about that as he comes back," Campbell said. "And then really from there it’s just about, man, how does he feel, what’s his body saying and then it’s just about getting in conditioning like the rest of guys have done over time."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions' Montgomery, Decker expected to play against Green Bay
