Detroit Lions players have been officially ruled out for Sunday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs — and what those absences might mean for Detroit’s lineup and game plan:

 Players Ruled Out

As of the latest injury reports, four Lions have been officially ruled out for Sunday Night:

• Sione Vaki (RB) — groin

• Zach Cunningham (LB) — hamstring

• Terrion Arnold (CB) — shoulder

• Alim McNeill (DT / DL) — knee / ACL (Still on PUP) (Pride Of Detroit)

Then, over the course of Saturday, the team downgraded three additional players from “questionable” to “out”:

• Taylor Decker (LT) — shoulder

• Giovanni Manu (OT / backup tackle) — knee

• Avonte Maddox (DB / cornerback / nickel corner) — hamstring (Reuters)

So in total, the Lions enter Week 6 without seven players who had at least some chance to play earlier in the week.

 Context & Implications

Offense / Offensive Line Impact

• Taylor Decker has been the Lions’ longstanding left tackle and a consistent starter since his rookie season.

• His shoulder injury forced him to miss last week, and now he’s officially out again. (Reuters)

• With Decker out, his backup Giovanni Manu — who filled in last week — also succumbed to a knee injury and has been ruled out. (Pride Of Detroit)

• That leaves Dan Skipper, elevated from the practice squad, expected to start at left tackle for Sunday night. (Reuters)

• The loss of both top options at LT puts pressure on the OL as a whole, especially in pass protection against a strong Chiefs front.

Defense / Secondary

• Terrion Arnold, a corner expected to play a key role in the Lions’ secondary, is out with a shoulder injury. (Detroit Sports Nation)

• Avonte Maddox — who might have been counted on in the nickel DB role or as depth — is now ruled out with his hamstring issue. (Reuters)

• Alim McNeill, on the defensive line, will not return this week as earlier hopes for a midseason comeback have been dashed. (NBC Sports)

• Zach Cunningham’s absence at linebacker further weakens rotational depth on defense. (Pride Of Detroit)

• In all, Detroit is facing critical gaps in the secondary — both corner and safety — especially if other players carry “questionable” tags and fail to suit up.

Other Outs

• Sione Vaki (RB) is out with a groin injury.

While Detroit’s backfield has other options, losing depth in the ground game is never ideal. (Pride Of Detroit)

 Looking Ahead — Game Plans & Adjustments

• With both Decker and Manu unavailable, the Lions are forced into a significant reshuffling of the line.

• The offense will likely be more conservative, especially in long-developing pass plays, to protect their less experienced tackle against Kansas City’s pass rush.

• The defensive backfield is similarly strained. With Arnold and Maddox out, and other DBs and safeties dealing with injuries (or questionable status), Detroit may lean more heavily on backups or adjust their scheme to emphasize zone coverage and support over man coverage. (Detroit Sports Nation)

• Kansas City’s passing game, led by Patrick Mahomes, will look to attack these vulnerabilities — especially targeting mismatches or weaker coverages in the secondary. (Sports Betting Dime)

That said, the Lions have tried to stay ahead of the game. Head coach Dan Campbell and the front office have talked about contingency plans for missing starters. (SI)