Lions Get Some Good News on Starting Left Tackle
The Detroit Lions waited close to a month to get starting left tackle Taylor Decker back on the field after he dealt with a nagging shoulder injury, but it appeared they may have lost him again after just one game back.
Decker aggravated his shoulder in the team’s Oct. 20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leaving him with an uncertain status for the upcoming game. Head coach Dan Campbell had a bit of good news this week, raising hopes that Decker won’t have to miss any more time.
Taylor Decker Returning to Practice
Speaking to reporters, Campbell explained that Decker would miss practice on Tuesday but would be back on the field before the end of the week.
“I see him practicing [Thursday], not today. He did yesterday, but I don’t see him practicing today,” Campbell said on Tuesday, via SB Nation’s Pride of Detroit.
Decker had been dealing with shoulder pains for much of the season, getting knocked out after the team’s Sept. 28 win over the
The return wasn’t so smooth, with Decker telling reporters after the game that he aggravated the injury.
“Not great,” Decker told the Detroit Free Press when asked how he felt after the game.
Decker was able to play all 68 offensive snaps in the win over the Buccaneers, then the top team in the NFC, but the left tackle gave up a sack that led to a Jared Goff fumble. While Decker played well otherwise, Campbell said the veteran lineman was frustrated by the mistake.
“He’s a perfectionist,” Campbell said, via the Detroit Free Press. “He’s a prideful guy and he wants to know he can play his best kind of football and it can get frustrating when you know you’re not 100%.
“And so I understand what that is but – and like I tell him, you help us though, you elevate us. And I just appreciate the fact he’s out there trying to get it done and hopefully we can get it to calm down and good news is I think there’s still some strength in it, but the guy’s a stud, man. He is.”
Decker had the benefit of the bye week to get some extra recovery time, and his status for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings will become clearer by the end of the week.
More Injury News for the Lions
The Lions could get another big return this week as running back and special teams mainstay Sione Vaki is expected to practice the entire week. He has missed the last four games with a groin injury, but could be close to returning this week.
“Vaki practiced yesterday. He’s going to practice today. He’s going to practice Thursday after the day off,” Campbell said. “So we’re hopeful. He looked good. He looks good right now, and hopefully we can get him to the game. That’s the plan.”
The Lions are also moving closer to getting defensive lineman Marcus Davenport back after suffering a Week 2 chest injury, but Campbell said he would remain on IR for at least a little longer.
“He is improving, but I can’t give you a definitive ‘this is when he’s going to be back.’ I’m just very confident he is going to be back. We’re going to get him back here,” Campbell said.
Jordan Love Is Quietly Dominating While MVP Voters Keep Ignoring Him
While it's only been a little less than two and a half seasons since Jordan Love has served as the Green Bay Packers' starting quarterback since taking over for Aaron Rodgers in 2023, the Utah State alum has already played on his fair share of big stages, which is just what comes with the territory when you suit up for the winningest franchise in NFL history.
One such stage, of course, was this past Sunday night in prime time when the Packers visited the Pittsburgh Steelers, which gave Love the opportunity to square off against Rodgers for the first and likely only time. And what did the soon-to-be 27-year-old do with that opportunity?
Well, he simply went out and played the best regular-season game of his young career, connecting on 29 of his 37 passes, including a franchise-record-tying 20 in a row at one point, for a season-high 360 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in a 35-25 victory, therefore earning a 134.2 passer rating, which just happens to be the highest regular-season mark of his career.
The only time he's gone higher was in his first-ever playoff game, which came against the Dallas Cowboys following the 2023 season, a 48-32 victory in which he earned a near-perfect 157.2 rating after completing 76.2 percent of his throws for 272 yards with three touchdowns and no picks.
But we're not here to talk about the past. We're here to talk about the present and how Love is being ridiculously overlooked in the NFL Most Valuable Player conversation. It's no secret that the MVP has become a quarterback award, as the only non-QB to win it over the last 18 years was Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in 2012.
And far more often than not, it goes to a quarterback of one of the top seeds (yes, we know Josh Allen was an exception just last year).
And while there's obviously a long way to go before playoff time, although not that long, here the Packers have the best record in the NFC and the second-best record in the entire NFL at 5-1-1, and here's where Love sits in the up-to-this-minute-of-this-writing standings in the NFL MVP betting odds at
|
Player |
Position |
Team |
2025 NFL MVP Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Patrick Mahomes |
QB |
Chiefs |
+120 |
|
Josh Allen |
QB |
Bills |
+350 |
|
Drake Maye |
QB |
Patriots |
+500 |
|
Matthew Stafford |
QB |
Rams |
+1200 |
|
Baker Mayfield |
QB |
Buccaneers |
+1400 |
|
Daniel Jones |
QB |
Colts |
+1600 |
|
Jonathan Taylor |
RB |
Colts |
+1800 |
|
Jared Goff |
QB |
Lions |
+2000 |
|
Jordan Love |
QB |
Packers |
+2000 |
Jordan Love is being overlooked in MVP race despite dominant start to 2025
Look, I certainly don't want to disrespect any of the players on this list, as every single one of them is having a fantastic season. And good on Jonathan Taylor for being the lone running back on this list, even if he won't win (if Saquon couldn't get it last year, Taylor isn't this year).
But Love alongside Jared Goff in a tie for eighth at +2000? Come on. If one were to go with the top five on this list come the NFL Honors ceremony, he wouldn't even be a finalist, which is absurd.
Now, an argument I've heard on why Love may not be getting the love some others are is because the Packers' defense, which obviously now includes Micah Parsons, has been so dominant. But I just can't buy that, as the Kansas City Chiefs (16.4), Los Angeles Rams (16.7), New England Patriots (18.2), Indianapolis Colts (19.2), and Buffalo Bills (20.9) are all allowing fewer points per game than Green Bay (21.4) right now.
So, that covers everyone else on this list except Baker Mayfield and Goff.
Love may not the most gaudy numbers among the QBs on this list, but he ranks fourth in completion percentage (70.9), ninth in total passing yards (1,798), seventh in average passing yards per game (256.9), tied for 11th in TD passes (13), fourth in passer rating (112.8), and fifth in QBR (73.5). He's also thrown just two interceptions thus far, tied for the fewest on this list alongside Mayfield and Matthew Stafford.
To get a touch more advanced, he's also one of only two quarterbacks with an adjusted completion percentage of over 80 percent, a big-time throw rate of over five percent, and a turnover-worthy play rate of under three percent, the other being Drake Maye. This is MVP-caliber stuff, folks.
And just to reiterate, the Packers have the best record in the NFC and the second-best record in the entire league, trailing only the Indianapolis Colts (7-1).
Love is playing as well as any quarterback in the NFL right now, and it's about time his name starts getting thrown around in these MVP conversations a bit more.
