The Detroit Lions are preparing to play the New Orleans Saints this weekend on Sunday Night Football. Though they won't have the luxury of playing starting running back Jahvid Best -- who has been placed on the injured reserve -- the rest of the roster seems to be relatively healthy according to Thursday's injury report.
Kevin Smith didn't practice on Wednesday due to an injured ankle, but the starting running back was able to go through part of Thursday's practice. It seems he impressed reporters in individual drills, too, meaning there's a good chance he'll be able to play on Sunday.
Defense may be a problem, however, as three defensive backs were out due to injury on Thursday. Cornerbacks Chris Houston and Brandon McDonald, along with safety Louis Delmas, were all out due to injury. Defensive end Lawrence Jackson, dealing with a thigh injury, sat out practice again as well.
The full injury report is embedded below.
| POS. | NAME | INJURY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Louis Delmas | Knee | DNP | DNP | ||
| CB | Chris Houston | Knee | DNP | DNP | ||
| DE | Lawrence Jackson | Thigh | DNP | DNP | ||
| CB | Brandon McDonald | Thigh | LP | DNP | ||
| RB | Kevin Smith | Ankle | DNP | LP | ||
| DE | Willie Young | Ankle | LP | LP | ||
| S | Chris Harris | Ankle | FP | FP | ||
| LB | Doug Hogue | Illness | DNP | FP | ||
| WR | Calvin Johnson | Ankle | FP | FP | ||
| WR | Maurice Stovall | Shoulder | FP | FP | ||