Lions have 6 players miss walkthrough practice amid short Thanksgiving week
FOX 2 - As the Lions head toward a short week with the Thanksgiving's Chicago match-up looming, Coach Dan Campbell didn't waste any time talking the Bears at his Monday press conference.
The biggest challenge is getting the hottest team in football ready to play Chicago at Ford Field 72 hours after their NFL-best ninth straight win in a 24-6 win at Indianapolis.
"The message is, rest, recovery and the mental work. It's how fast can you recover and get your body right and get your mind focused on the job at hand, because you're not going to get the physical," he said. "Block out all the distractions. The distractions are all on us, not on them. We've got our family here, friends, you have to block it out. Tell them you love them and you'll see them after the game."
The Lions (10-1) had six players not participate at Monday's walk-through practice who may not be on the field for Thursday.
Campbell named four of the six - offensive tackle Taylor Decker, cornerback Carleton Davis, receiver Kalif Raymond, Amon-Ra St. Brown.
"We're going to know a lot more about some of these guys tomorrow than we do today," Campbell said. "It is going to come down to the wire, a number of them. That's the challenge of the short week.
"The good news is that most of these are not some long-term thing. But three days to get ready to play, that's when it becomes an issue. If they can't play, it's next man up. You have to do your job and compete."
Campbell said St. Brown is "a little banged up" and his status will be based on how he recovers.
The coach issued some praise for Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, as well as the Bears (4-7), losers of five straight - which he said, have lost some heartbreakers.
In that stretch, Chicago lost 18-15 from a ‘Hail Mary’ touchdown against the Commanders, 20-19 against the Packers and 30-27 to the Vikings in overtime.
Campbell was asked about when he'll have time to sleep.
"This week always reminds me - and it's nowhere even close - but it reminds me of Hell Week with the (Navy) SEALS, when you hear about them talk about that," he said. "They get an hour (of sleep) or whatever and then the bell rings and you're gone. You are on to the next thing so it's like these, every once in a while, power naps. That's kind of where we're at - just enough to refresh the brain and then hit it again."
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 24: Detroit Lions Center Frank Ragnow (77) lines up over the ball as the offensive line warms up for the NFL football game between the Detroit Lions and the Indianapolis Colts on November 24, 2024, at Lucas Oil Stadium in