Locker room buzz: Mahogany lost for several weeks, blocking falters, third-down woes persist and CBs struggle to see silver linings
Detroit — Here’s what I learned bouncing around the Detroit Lions’ locker room following the team’s 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Changing of the guard
The salt in the wound of any defeat is losing a key player to injury. On Sunday, four of Detroit’s offensive linemen exited the contest to be evaluated for injury. Three returned to action after a brief absence. Guard Christian Mahogany did not.
Chasing a block, Mahogany’s leg whipped into a defender, causing a significant knee injury that required him to be carted off the field.
In the locker room after the game, Mahogany was on crutches with multiple teammates checking in, offering words of encouragement. Coach Dan Campbell wasn’t prepared to call the injury season-ending, but optimistically projected the team wouldn’t get the starting left guard back until late December.
When Mahogany went out, veteran Kayode Awosika stepped in. The more appropriate description of the scene would be Awosika slid over, from right guard, where he’d played the previous few snaps while rookie Tate Ratledge was being evaluated for a shoulder injury.
In his fourth season with the Lions, Awosika has started several games and logged close to 600 offensive snaps. That adds to the confidence the team has in his ability to replace Mahogany temporarily.
“When he came in the game, I was like, we’ve done this a million times before,” left tackle Taylor Decker said. “We’ve played a bunch of games. We’ve played in playoff games and stuff next to each other. So I have the utmost confidence in him being able to go out there because he’s put it on tape. He’s shown that he can do it.”
On the unique challenge of flipping from right guard to left guard from one snap to the next, Awosika said it’s now old hat, having been cross-trained under the tutelage of position coach Hank Fraley for years.
Because of that same coaching, Awosika is prepared to start going forward if that’s what he’s asked to do.
“As backups, we stay ready so we don’t need to get ready,” he said. “We prepare like starters. If it’s the case where I need to step up, the standard doesn’t change.”
Awosika noted that it is comforting to know he’d slot in between Decker and center Graham Glasgow, given the chemistry they’ve forged over the past couple of seasons.
“Every time Graham would move to center the past two years, I’d go in and play next to him,” Awosika said. “And I’ve played next to Deck a ton of reps. So I’ll be ready.”
Blocking falls short
The Lions have had answers for the Vikings’ aggressive pass rush the past few times the teams have squared off, but not in this one.