Anyone even vaguely familiar with Dan Campbell’s mindset will find his approach for Week 17 entirely unsurprising. The Detroit Lions, regardless of whether they have the NFC No. 1 seed clinched or not, will never take their foot off the gas. Campbell said as much in his press conference on Monday, and their all-in approach includes a key piece of injury news.
Graham Glasgow was sidelined all of last week (including on Sunday) with a knee injury, but Campbell gave a crystal-clear update on what he expects from the guard in Week 17’s Monday Night Football clash against the San Francisco 49ers.
Dan Campbell Announces Graham Glasgow Will Return in Week 17 for Lions
Campbell didn’t mince words when discussing Glasgow’s injury status, saying “I see Graham coming back, I think he’s going to be ready to roll and he’s going to slip right back in at left guard and start for us.”
Christian Mahogany started in Glasgow’s place against the Bears, and while Campbell was impressed, he’s no replacement for the veteran.
Of course, it has been a down year for Glasgow. It’s easy to overlook his struggles when the Lions offense has been so incredible, but according to PFF’s grades this has been his worst season since his 2016 rookie campaign. A 55.9 grade (compared to a career best 74.9 in 2023) does feel like an overreaction to his perceived struggles, but you also won’t find many Lions fans disagreeing with the idea that he’s taken a huge step back.
Continuity and experience are so crucial on the offensive line though. While Mahogany, a rookie sixth-round pick, is showing a lot of promise, there’s absolutely no question that this line is better as a unit with Glasgow starting.
For a team that has been so plagued by bad injury news, even a seemingly small announcement like the return of an offensive guard from a one-game absence is a welcome one.
Now fans will just have to deal with some extra nervousness if they do claim the No. 1 seed. You don’t want the team to get complacent, but sweating out potential injuries in more or less meaningless games to close out the regular season is going to be a tough experience.
As things stand right now, FanDuel Sportsbook has the Lions as +390 favorites to win the Super Bowl, with +185 odds of winning the NFC Championship to reach the big game.
