CINCINNATI -- The Detroit Lions will try to stay alive in the playoff race Sunday without three-fifths of their starting offensive line.
Right tackle Rick Wagner (ankle), right guard T.J. Lang (foot) and center Travis Swanson (concussion) were all ruled out against the Bengals. Of the three, Wagner is the biggest surprise, as he was listed as questionable Friday.
Swanson had already been ruled out for the second straight week, and Lang did not practice all week with an injured foot.
This also means Graham Glasgow will slide over from guard to center for another game to replace Swanson. Corey Robinson will likely fill in for Wagner at right tackle, and Joe Dahl should handle one of the guard spots. Either Don Barclay or Emmett Cleary will likely play at the other guard spot. The other option for the Lions is to have Robinson at guard again and Brian Mihalik at right tackle.
Either way, that’s a big problem for a team that has struggled to protect quarterback Matthew Stafford this season, as he’s been sacked 43 times. The Lions are averaging 77.4 rushing yards per game, which is among the worst in the league as well.
