The Lions will have a big hole in the middle of their defense this week.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is expected to miss the next two or three weeks, after leaving last week’s game with a shoulder injury. He’s still undergoing tests on the shoulder now, but won’t play this week against the Rams.
The 32-year-old Ngata isn’t the same player he was in Baltimore, but he’s been solid for the Lions.
And though they rank 21st in the league in run defense, they’re the only team in the league that hasn’t given up a rushing touchdown yet. That’s something Todd Gurley and the Rams would like to change this week, and not having Ngata in the middle ought to make it easier.