The Detroit Lions are 0-4 and hope is not exactly high at the moment. The team is coming off a controversial loss and now injuries are becoming an issue heading into Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals which will not be an easy matchup. The Lions could be short on offense as Eric Ebron went down with a knee injury that could leave him off the field for at least three weeks.
According to ESPN's Josina Anderson, Ebron has a bruised left knee that will leave him out for at least three weeks. The tight end underwent an MRI that revealed no structural damage which is good news, but he is still expected to be out for some time which leaves the team without one of their most dynamic threats. So far this season, Ebron has 15 catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns. The Lions will now be down to one healthy tight end in Tim Wright as Brandon Pettigrew sits out with a hamstring injury.
Ebron's injury is paired with an ankle issue to Joique Bell. The running back who was expected to start this season continues to remain off the field as rookie Ameer Abdullah takes his place. The rookie had 33 yards off 13 carries and 11 yards of two catches. Theo Riddick continues to remain the best of that bunch considering his ability to be a quality passing down back. The Lions would love to get Bell back into the mix in order to have a little versatility to work with.
"Obviously not the start that I want," Bell said, via the Detroit Free Press. "I don't really talk about injuries. ... The coaches know my situation and that's pretty much all I have to say about that."
The Lions' offense is leaving a lot to be desired right now as no one appears to be on the same page. Calvin Johnson continues his quiet start to the year while Matthew Stafford is not finding ways to move the ball. The run game is the worst in the league right now putting up just 22.25 yards per carry. Golden Tate admits he has no idea what is going wrong while head coach Jim Caldwell is hoping the team can try and find some momentum soon.
"We've got to keep finding a way to move the ball," Caldwell said, via ESPN.com. "We're just inconsistent. The last drive, we looked pretty good, not too bad. But there's a whole bunch of drives in between there, I think there five in a row that we ended up punting the ball or something like that, we didn't look so good."