The Detroit Lions took a beating up front in their 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, with four of their five starting offensive linemen leaving the game at some point to be checked by medical staff. But on Monday, head coach Dan Campbell offered a sigh of relief for fans, most of the damage isn’t long-term.
Campbell confirmed what many feared: Christian Mahogany will be out “for a long time.”
“For what the injury is, it’s a broken bone, relative to injuries, that’s a good thing,” Campbell said as quoted by Pride of Detroit. “It’ll heal up, and it’ll be stronger than it was before.”
The key detail? His knee is fine. That’s a major bullet dodged.
Dan Campbell bad challenge Christian Mahogany Injury Update Detroit Lions offensive line injury updates
Updates on Decker and Sewell
As for the bookends of the line, both Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell avoided serious setbacks. Decker briefly exited Sunday’s game with a knee issue while still dealing with a lingering shoulder injury. Sewell also made a trip to the locker room holding his shoulder, but returned without missing a snap.
Campbell said neither tackle is expected to practice early this week, but he doesn’t believe their injuries will affect their long-term availability.
“Nothing sounds long-term, which is good. It’s good news,” Campbell said. “I think it’s more about, are they going to be able to practice this week, and are they going to be able to play this week? But nothing beyond that.”
That’s about as encouraging as it gets after a game that left Lions fans holding their breath.
Rookie Guard Tate Ratledge Appears Fine
The other lineman to go down was rookie Tate Ratledge, who briefly exited with a shoulder injury before returning to the field. Campbell kept it short and sweet when asked for an update:
“Yeah, I think Tate will be okay,” he said.
Given how important Ratledge has been to Detroit’s ground game and interior protection, that’s a huge sigh of relief.
Updates from Dan Campbell on the injuries along the offensive line pic.twitter.com/vPNTBRpi9u
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 3, 2025
The Big Picture
In short, the Lions’ offensive line, the engine of their physical identity, dodged disaster. Christian Mahogany will miss time, but it’s an injury that should fully heal. The rest of the line looks poised to stay intact for the playoff push, assuming rest and treatment go as planned.
The Commanders come next in Week 10, and Campbell knows protecting Jared Goff is priority number one. Thankfully, it sounds like his big men will be ready to keep biting kneecaps soon enough.