Reader, Decker Ruled Out against Packers

Lions reveal injury designations for Thursday's game against Packers.

Detroit Lions defensive tackle DJ Reader (98). / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions revealed injury designations for their pivotal Thursday Night Football showdown against the Green Bay Packers.

Detroit will play its second consecutive game without left Taylor Decker, who was ruled out Wednesday. Defensive tackles DJ Reader and Levi Onwuzurike, along with defensive end Josh Paschal, were also ruled out.

With Decker sidelined, the Lions could likely turn to offensive tackle Dan Skipper to start for the third time in five games.

This season, Skipper has logged a 50.9 overall Pro Football Focus grade on 207 total offensive snaps.

“He’s come in, and he’s fought his tail off, which is exactly what we expected from him," said offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. "He’s a guy that, he understands his physical limitations and he adjusts accordingly. So, if he needs to take a certain angle because he might not be quite as quick as (Taylor) Decker might be on some things, then he knows how to do that. Then, he also knows how to handle these EDGER rushers, to where it makes them – if they are going to win a rep, he’s not going to do it quickly. He’s not going to allow them to do that quickly. It’s going to take them a second to do that. So, he does a great job for us, we know he’s going to fight. We know he’s going to finish for all 60 minutes.”

With a trio of defensive linemen sidelined, the Lions could turn to a combination of new players, such as Myles Adams and Jonah Williams, along with Al-Quadin Muhammad at defensive end, to help fill the void. Brodric Martin is also a candidate to be active as the team's nose tackle with Reader out.

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Lions' Week 14 Wednesday injury report

Taylor Decker -- OUT (Knee)
Levi Onwuzurike -- OUT (Hamstring)
Josh Paschal -- OUT (Knee)
DJ Reader -- OUT (Shoulder)