The Mitten Report

On Tuesday, Isiah Pacheco was placed on IR with a back issue, making him unavailable for the first 4 weeks of the 2026 season. Pacheco was signed on March 10th on a 1-year, $1.81 million contract to serve as the RB2 for Detroit. Luckily for the Detroit Lions, they have Jahmyr Gibbs. But it’s still nearly two weeks before the season has begun, and the Lions yet again have injury problems. Unfortunately, Isiah Pacheco is just the tip of the iceberg.

On December 5th, 2025, Pro Bowl CB/S Brian Branch tore his Achilles against the Dallas Cowboys. This injury kept him out for the remainder of the 2025 season and also ended up causing him to be placed on the PUP list to begin this season. This will cause him to miss at least the first 4 weeks as well. Another major piece of the Lions’ secondary, Kirby Joseph, will also miss at least the first 4 weeks of this upcoming season with a nagging knee injury that has been affecting him since week 6 of the 2025 season.

The Detroit Lions’ defense has been a major disappointment for the last few years, especially when it is paired with a prolific offense. Detroit ranked 18th in the NFL in total yards allowed. Their pass defense ranked 20th (217.3 yds/gm), and their run defense ranked 14th (114.5 yds/gm) in the NFL. Part of this disappointing play is coaching, but injuries and availability have been a major factor. Having Joseph and Branch both out to start the year is not an encouraging sight.

The Lions’ biggest splash in the free agency market was former Panthers’ center, Cade Mays. He was signed to fill the hole in the offensive line after Graham Glasnow was not re-signed. On August 9th, during training camp, it was revealed that Mays had suffered a fractured wrist and would miss 8-10 weeks. He was also placed on the IR, which will, once again, cause Mays to miss at least the first four weeks of the NFL season. It seems as though time and time again, the injury bug has gotten to Lions at the worst possible times.

If there is any silver lining from this unfortunate news, it would be that the Lions’ 2026 schedule, on paper, is significantly easier than last year. The aforementioned 4 significant pieces of this team are going to miss the first 4 weeks, which look like this:

• Week 1: vs. New Orleans Saints
• Week 2: @ Buffalo Bills
• Week 3: vs. New York Jets
• Week 4: @ Carolina Panthers

The Lions just need to survive these injuries; don’t panic about them. Those are 4 games where the Lions will likely be favorites in 3 of them. So it isn’t the worst time to have injuries. If the Lions could get 2 or 3 of these pieces back by week 5, it could really improve the playoff chances, especially if Detroit gets off to a decent start.

Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard is likely going to have his hands full for these first 4 weeks. Sheppard is going to really have to lean on his front 7 to begin the season. Getting pass rush is going to be crucial to the success of this Lions’ defense. Along with those full hands come lofty expectations. In recent years, Detroit fans have dreaded watching this defense play. I think this is an extremely important year for Sheppard and this Lions’ secondary. If he can get out of the first four weeks with a 2-2 or 3-1 record, I think that week 5 can be a major turnaround moment for this squad. But the Lions’ biggest challenge this year will be staying healthy. They have every piece they need to be a top 5 team in the NFL once again. But the best ability is availability, maybe someone needs to hang that up in the locker room.

I predict that the Lions will get off to a 3-1 start, dropping their only game to Buffalo on the opening night at Highmark Stadium on the September 17th edition of Thursday Night Football. If this prediction comes to fruition, I would be confident in the Lions’ ability to make a playoff run. The NFC North will likely be one of the best divisions in the NFL, but getting off to a start like that would go leaps and bounds for Detroit.