Detroit Lions Week 5 injury designations: Penei Sewell, T.J. Hockenson questionable

The Detroit Lions have declared the injury designations for their Week 5 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. After a week of getting kicked in the shins, the Lions finally got a bit of good news on the injury front as left tackle Penei Sewell and tight end T.J. Hockenson made late-week strides and are listed as questionable, giving them a chance to play on Sunday.

“(Hockenson’s) gotten better every day and we’ll see what he looks like today,” coach Dan Campbell said ahead of Friday’s practice. “I’d say the same thing about Sewell, both of those guys. We’ll see where they’re at today for practice, post-practice, and go from there.”

Let’s take a closer look at Friday’s injury report and designations.

Ruled OUT

None.

This is the first time this season the Lions have not ruled a player out ahead of a game—of course, they also have 12 players on injured reserve, so take that with a truck grain of salt.

Questionable

• OT Penei Sewell (ankle)
• TE T.J. Hockenson (knee)
• RB D’Andre Swift (groin)
• RB Jamaal Williams (hip)
• EDGE Trey Flowers (knee)

Sewell missed practices on Wednesday and Thursday (though he was seen getting some work in), but was able to return to a limited practice on Friday—taking reps at left tackle— suggesting there is a real chance he will be able to suit up on Sunday. This should be a relief for Lions fans—and QB Jared Goff—as he is a major upgrade over the other possible options.

Hockenson missed practice on Wednesday but was able to string together back-to-back limited practices on Thursday and Friday. He was made available to the media after practice on Friday, which is typically a strong indicator that he will be playing in the upcoming game.

“I’m sweating today a little bit,” Hockenson told the media, per Jeremy Reisman. “I don’t know if that says anything. Obviously, a couple more days left, and we’ll see where it is on Sunday and just go from there. It is what it is. You never play in this game 100 percent, so it’s one of those things.”

Hockenson played a full game last weekend, so there was no clear indicator of how he injured his knee, but he took the opportunity when speaking to the media to explain what happened and his approach to the week of practices.

“You take hits out there every Sunday,” Hockenson continued. “I got clobbered at times. You know, just repetitive. Just taking Wednesday (off), being precautionary about it. Yesterday, doing a little bit (more). Today, just running around and trying to get some things accomplished getting ready to roll.”

Having Hockenson available on Sunday would be a big boost for the Lions' offense because both their starting running backs—Swift and Williams—are also nursing injuries. They were both limited in practices all week, but it appeared to mostly be precautionary and pain management in nature.

Flowers has been making positive strides all week, and despite requiring protective equipment on his knee, he looks like he is ready to get back in the starting lineup—and it couldn’t come at a better time with Romeo Okwara’s Achilles injury knocking him out for the season. Expect Charles Harris to get the start opposite Flowers (assuming he doesn't have a setback between now and Sunday) with a healthy dose of Austin Bryant and Julian Okwara, as Flowers acclimates back to live action.

No injury designation

• DL Michael Brockers (shoulder)

Brockers got in his first full practice since joining the Lions and he may finally be healthy and ready to contribute at full capacity.