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Zeitler out with hamstring injury; Lions to start rookie Mahogany at RG vs. Commanders
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- Zeitler out with hamstring injury; Lions to start rookie Mahogany at RG vs. Commanders
Kevin Zeitler will miss Saturday's divisional playoff game against the Washington Commanders with a pulled hamstring, but Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said the offensive line remains "in good hands" with his replacement.
Rookie Christian Mahogany , a sixth-round pick out of Boston College, will start at right guard in Zeitler's absence.
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Detroit Lions guard Kevin Zeitler recovers a fumble by quarterback Jared Goff (not pictured) against Buffalo Bills defensive end Dawuane Smoot (94) during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024.
Mahogany made one fill-in start at left guard in place of Graham Glasgow in a December win over the Chicago Bears . He allowed one quarterback hit that forced a third-down incompletion in the game and was penalized once for a false start, but made several key blocks in pass protection and the run game that helped spring big gains.
Campbell said Thursday that Mahogany, who spent the first half of the season on the nonfootball illness list after missing the start of training camp with mononucleosis , played well enough against the Bears to earn his trust in the postseason.
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"We thought that was a good showing by him and it's worthy of, if it goes there to give him a shot," Campbell said. "But then there again, we got ( Kayode Awosika ) as well who's played snaps, played playoff snaps for us and we trust him as well so we feel like we're in good hands."
Awosika started the NFC championship game for the Lions last season in place of an injured Jonah Jackson .
The Lions, who won a franchise-record 15 games in the regular season , had a first-round playoff bye last week.
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Left tackle Taylor Decker returned to practice Thursday after missing Wednesday's practice for the birth of his child, and running back David Montgomery (knee) and cornerback Terrion Arnold (foot) are cleared to play Saturday. Arnold and Zeitler were injured in the Lions' Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings , while Montgomery missed three games with a torn MCL .
The Lions also ruled out defensive tackle Pat O'Connor with a calf injury, while Ennis Rakestraw is questionable. The Lions started Rakestraw's 21-day return-to-practice window from injured reserve last week, but the rookie cornerback missed a walk-through Tuesday and practice Wednesday with an illness.
Dave Birkett is the author of the new book, " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline." Order your copy here. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions injury report: Christian Mahogany at RG if Kevin Zeitler is out
