Lions prominent player has a severe injury and wont be

Detroit Lions edge defender James Houston returned to practice last week, but according to the latest update from coach Dan Campbell, the pass rusher isn’t expected to play in the regular season finale against the Minnesota Vikings.

“I don’t see Houston (playing) right now,” Campbell said on 97.1 The Ticket Tuesday morning.

Houston fractured his ankle in the team’s Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks and has been sidelined ever since. The Lions started his evaluation clock last Thursday, getting one practice in before Detroit’s game against the Cowboys last Saturday. That gives the Lions two weeks to decide if they want to activate him from injured reserve or not.

Last year, Houston came on out of nowhere in the last couple months of the season, providing a huge boost to Detroit’s pass rush. In just seven games played, he tallied 8.0 sacks.