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Jeff Backus' consecutive starts streak likely to end this week

It appears as though Jeff Backus won't play this week, ending his streak of consecutive games played.

Rick Stewart

Detroit Lions offensive tackle Jeff Backus is in the 12th season of his career. So far, he hasn't missed a single game in the regular season. He has made 186 starts in a row, which is a remarkable feat. His play has at times been inconsistent, but the Lions have always been able to count on him to be in their lineup.

Unfortunately for both Backus and the Lions, it appears that streak is about to come to an end. Backus suffered a hamstring injury during Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers, and it forced him out of the game. He was replaced by rookie Riley Reiff, and it doesn't sound like Backus will be able to play on Thanksgiving against the Houston Texans given the short turnaround.

While it probably wasn't easy being thrown into the starting spot at left tackle, Reiff looked a bit shaky at times on Sunday. Hopefully he will be more prepared this week given that he is probably going to make the start. I would assume that Backus will return to his starting spot at left tackle once he's healthy, but this is really a glimpse of the future for the Lions with Reiff playing left tackle.

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