Sunday open thread: Should the Detroit Lions sit Kerryon Johnson for the rest of the year?

It’s still unknown how severe Kerryon Johnson’s injury is. In the second half of Week 11’s game against the Carolina Panthers, Johnson went down with an injury that looked pretty bad. There were fears of an ACL tear, but it appears those worries were unfounded. Early reports suggest Johnson suffered a knee sprain and is “week-to-week.”

That’s not a ton of information for us fans, but we know two things so far: the Detroit Lions haven’t placed him on injured reserve and it doesn’t look like he’ll need surgery.

Unfortunately, it looks like the Lions’ season is lost at this point. Teams with a 4-7 record make the playoffs about three percent of the time, and while Detroit has remained competitive in recent games, with contests against the Rams, Vikings and Packers still on the schedule, running the table seems off the... table.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

Should the Lions just sit and rest Johnson for the rest of the season?

My answer: It’s a tough question to ask, given we don’t really know the severity of the injury, but here’s what I will say. Last week’s performance by LeGarrette Blount was promising enough for me to believe that much of the Lions’ turnaround in their rushing attack was prompted by buffing up the offensive line and adding offensive line coach Jeff Davidson. I still don’t think Blount has much left in the tank, but the Lions’ running game could certainly show signs of life without Kerryon.

Still, I’m torn. I selfishly would love to see more of Johnson, seeing as he’s currently the most exciting play on the roster. I also believe he can benefit from the experience, especially considering his pass blocking skills need serious improvement if he’s ever going to be a complete three-down back.

But the risk of another injury has me leaning on the side of caution. There are only five games left and what little Kerryon could potentially gain in two or three games is probably not worth the risk of making things worse. Johnson has a lengthy list of injuries dating back to his high school days, and while none of those have been long-term, why risk it?

Your turn.