–The Lions’ already depleted offense took another hit this week when wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. went on injured reserve with a knee injury.
Jones had a career-high 1,101 yards receiving last season and joined Golden Tate as one of just three sets of teammates to top 1,000 yards on the year. The Lions traded Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles last month, and are down to Kenny Golladay, Bruce Ellington and TJ Jones as their top three receivers.
TJ Jones has just eight catches in 10 games this year, and Ellington signed with the Lions earlier this month after the Tate trade.
“Going through these NFL seasons, guys go down for injury, guys go down for different reasons,” offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. “We make adjustments, we adjust to fit the players, and that’s what we’ve kind of done with Marv. Marv’s obviously a really good player and we’ll move forward and give some opportunities to some other guys and see who makes the most out of them.”
–All-Pro return man Jamal Agnew returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since he suffered a partially torn ligament in his left knee in a Week 5 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Agnew scored two punt-return touchdowns last season and was playing a prominent role as a slot cornerback in the Lions’ nickel and dime defensive packages at the time of his injury. Barring any setbacks, Agnew should return for the Lions’ final three regular-season games.
He said he hopes to play again this season, even if the Lions (4-7) are eliminated from playoff contention.
“Obviously back of my head I’m thinking longevity, protect myself,” Agnew said. “But I’m feeling pretty great right now. Like I said, it’s not my decision to get activated or not, but I’ve just been working hard, putting myself in that position, make that decision a little bit easier for them. I just want to get back and help the team win. I don’t like watching football. I’ve been (playing) it all my life. I’m trying to get back out there and play. I’m just itching to get back out there.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 61.9 percent – Opponents have made just 13 of 21 field goals against the Lions this season, the lowest percentage in the NFL. Two of the Lions’ four wins this season have come in large part because of their opponents’ struggles in the kicking game. They beat the Green Bay Packers in October, 31-23, when Mason Crosby missed four field goals and an extra point, and beat the Carolina Panthers earlier this month, 20-19, when Graham Gano missed an extra point and field goal.
