Packers v. Lions Inactives: Josiah Deguara WILL play, giving run game a boost

Relatively speaking, this is a very healthy Green Bay Packers team. Although they very much miss Rashan Gary, they enter Week 18 with only four players on IR. On top of that, only Josiah Deguara was listed with an injury designation, and the good news is that he will play.

Deguara hasn’t filled up the stat sheet as a pass catcher by any means, but he’s been very important as a blocker in the run game. His versatility allows Matt LaFleur to move him around the formation, which can give Deguara favorable matchups as a blocker while also getting the defense to look in one direction when the play is going the other. Even though he may not have many targets in the passing game, he is still a threat, which at times can make it difficult for defenses to distinguish whether a running or passing play is coming–which plays into the Packers’ advantage.

Since Week 10, the Packers have been trending upwards on offense, and a big reason why is their overall success on the ground. Although the Lions have a poor run defense statistically, they were able to keep Green Bay in check in Week 9 by crowding the line of scrimmage and daring the Packers to throw the ball. However, this time around, they may not have that luxury, as they’ll have to worry about Christian Watson’s home run ability on the outside. This should lead to more opportunities on the ground with the Detroit defense spread out more often.

As far as the rest of the Packers’ inactives go, it’s as expected. Shemar Jean-Charles hasn’t been active since returning from injury and still isn’t tonight. The emergence of Innis Gaines on special teams and in the slot has greatly reduced Jean-Charles’ role. Offensive linemen Caleb Jones and Rasheed Walker are also inactive, which has been the case for much of the season, as well as recently, with the Packers’ offensive line healthy.

Wide receiver Bo Melton, who was signed less than two weeks ago, along with rookie Jonathan Ford are the other two inactives for the Packers. Ford has been inactive all season, and without him once again, Green Bay will have just four interior defensive linemen available, with Dean Lowry on IR.

Without Green Bay making a practice squad elevation on Saturday, that means Mason Crosby will be handling kickoffs. Last week, kicker Ramiz Ahmed was elevated to handle kickoffs but suffered a groin injury pregame. While Crosby has still been quite steady on field goal attempts, opponents do have the most return attempts against him this season because he rarely gets the ball to the end zone. With that said, the kick coverage unit has been very good as of late, and Crosby is coming off an impressive performance against Minnesota. This past week, the Packers signed kicker Matt Ammendola to the practice squad.

Below is a look at the Lions’ inactives for Sunday’s game. Most notable, is that they will be without starting cornerback Jeff Okudah. However, they will have center Frank Ragnow, who was listed as questionable. Joe Barry called the Lions offensive line one of the best in football.