Detroit Lions starters, defensive end Ezekiel Ansah and running back LeGarrette Blount, are expected to play in today’s Week 2 game against the San Francisco 49ers, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. For today’s game against the #49ers, the #Lions are expected to have RB LeGarrette Blount (shoulder) and DE Ezekiel Ansah (shoulder), sources say. — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 16, 2018 With rookie Kerryon Johnson looking for more touches and Ameer Abdullah — a healthy scratch last week — available as an option, the Lions can take it easy with Blount if they desire. Considering how tricky shoulder injuries can be for running backs to recover from and the fact that he was downgraded from a full to partial practice participant this week, the Lions may give him more time. Ansah is the more critical player and even if he is less than 100-percent the Lions may not be able to afford to keep him on the sidelines. Last week after Ansah left the game he was replaced by Kerry Hyder, who struggled to pressure the quarterback and set the edge — something that the Lions require in this defense and Ansah excels at.<doc-sep>The Detroit Lions issued their final injury report of Week 2 heading into their matchup with the SanFrancisco 49ers and after missing practice all week, both T.J. Lang (back) and Andrew Donnal (knee) have been ruled out. Ezekiel Ansah (shoulder) and LeGarrette Blount (shoulder) are questionable, while Matthew Stafford (shin) is not listed with an injury designation. With Lang out, it means Kenny Wiggins — who has been the primary reserve — will likely get the start at right guard. Wiggins struggled during the preseason but he started all 16 games for the Chargers last season and experience is something this staff relies on. Coach Patricia spoke highly of Wiggins at his morning press conference today, “He’s tough, he’s a big guy, he’s strong. He’s strong at the point of attack, does a real good job with a punch and his footwork.” No matter how highly the coaches view Wiggins, he is a downgrade to Lang who was arguably the Lions offensive lineman last week. Ansah was limited all week, but coach Patricia said that a player’s experience and mental preparation factor into whether or not they will play in a game after missing time in practice during the week, which could be good news for the edge rusher. Ziggy Ansah says he’s “optimistic” about playing Sunday. — Tori Petry (@sportstori) September 14, 2018 With another day and a half to heal up, Ansah could be ready to play on Sunday, if not, Kerry Hyder was his replacement last week and could end up splitting time with newly acquired Romeo Okwara. After full practices earlier in the week, Blount was downgraded to a limited practice on Friday and hit with the questionable tag. Anytime you see a late week regression it is cause for concern and he will be one to keep an eye on this weekend. If he is unable to go, Ameer Abdullah will likely step in after being inactive last week. Stafford practiced fully all week so it’s a positive to see him finish off the week without any regression.<doc-sep>The Detroit Lions are expected to have a couple key pieces available to them in Week 2 vs. the San Francisco 49ers. Running back LeGarrette Blount and edge rusher Ezekiel Ansah were both listed as questionable on the final injury report, but both are expected to play, according to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport. Ansah suffered a shoulder injury last Monday against the New York Jets, and was limited all week. He is a key cog for their pass rush, in a defense that is already shaky to begin with. Blount suffered a shoulder injury of his own, but returns to a committee approach at running back. Blount was getting early rushing work on Monday, but he was splitting that with Kerryon Johnson, while Theo Riddick was getting more of the passing down work. Right guard T.J. Lang was ruled out on Friday, and that opens a big opportunity for the 49ers defensive tackles. Left guard Frank Ragnow has struggled thus far, and with a replacement coming at the other guard position, I have to think Robert Saleh will look to dial up pressure in those two spots.<doc-sep>The Detroit Lions are coming off one of the worst opening day game they've ever had, and to plenty of key players, the effort wasn't good enough. That much was proven true again by LeGarrette Blount, who was speaking about some of the things that need to happen this week. Clearly, Blount wants to see some improvements on the field this week, and knows that the Lions have to get things going in the right direction in order to be successful. Blount, like most, wasn't pleased to see the Lions struggling with the running game this week. As he said, that was just one of the many things he thinks the team needs to be able to do better in between the lines on a new week. "There's things that we can always do better. We got to make that a focal point," Blount said when talking to the assembled media this week. "We got to make sure we list that as a priority of ours. It is. There are things we have to do as a team, as an offense just in general to make us more efficient." Never mind the fact that the Lions team has been reported to not be in their coach's corner. Blount doesn't see that as a big issue, and in fact, he sees the team as close. What the Lions did get in his mind from the New York Jets beatdown was a reason to wake up and get things going on the season. A kick in the pants if you will. "I think the team has always been close. I think we just had a wakeup call. It's now or never to get this ... moving," Blount said with a smile. And yes, he did avoid the obscenity, which must have been tough given how the Lions played on Monday night. Don't miss a single snap of the Lions against the 49ers! Here's how to catch the game The bottom line? The Lions know what their job is and know how to do it, even as many folks might doubt that fact in the wake of a blowout loss to start the season that did not go as planned. "Our guys are here to grind. We're here to play and do our jobs. Obviously nobody wants to lose games. We're here to win as many games as possible," he admitted. Blount's message to everyone involved, fans and players included? There's a long way to go, and the team is taking the right mental approach now following their wakeup call on the season. "It's still early. Real early. We've only played one game. You can't base too much off of one game. We've buried it and we're on to San Francisco," he said. It was an answer which called back to his New England Patriots roots, but a good answer nonetheless.<doc-sep>
Allen Park — Last season, the Detroit Lions struggled to establish chemistry along the offensive line because of injuries. In all, the team started 10 different combinations. This year, it only took one game before the team had to shuffle the deck, once again. On Friday, the Lions ruled out right guard T.J. Lang, meaning the team will turn to a backup, likely veteran Kenny Wiggins, for Sunday's matchup with the 49ers. Lang has battled a slew of injuries since signing with Detroit last season. In 2017, he missed practice time with hip, foot, back and leg injuries, as well as a concussion. A lower leg injury limited him this training camp and he suffered a back injury late in Monday's loss to the New York Jets, which has sidelined him this week. In addition to Lang, the Lions listed defensive end Ziggy Ansah and running back LeGarrette Blount as questionable, both with shoulder injuries. Ansah left the game against the Jets in the second quarter and was unable to return. On Friday, he would only say he was optimistic about playing against San Francisco. The game against the Jets had to be stopped when Blount suffered a leg injury, but he showed up on Wednesday's practice report with the shoulder issue. He was a full participant during Thursday's practice, but was limited on Friday. If Blount can't go, it would likely mean a bigger role for rookie Kerryon Johnson, who had a handful of positive plays in limited action during his debut. jdrogers@detroitnews.com twitter.com/Justin_Rogers