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Injury Report: Joique Bell Out Again As Detroit Lions Take On Arizona Cardinals

By Danny Cox

The Detroit Lions got some bad new and good news with this week's injury report as they prepare to face the Arizona Cardinals in week five. Three big-time players are out, including running back Joique Bell yet again, but Brandon Pettigrew is back and DeAndre Levy will make his season debut this weekend.

The return of Pettigrew is extremely good news for the Lions as the team is essentially trading one tight end for another. Pettigrew has been out for the past three games due to a strained hamstring and he was replaced by Eric Ebron. As their starter returns, the Lions lose Ebron who has been ruled out with a knee injury.

Defensive end Haloti Ngata is out with a strained right calf and Bell is out for a second straight week due to a bum ankle and injured knee. The absence of Bell means that rookie running back Ameer Abdullah will get the start again and continue getting immediate experience.

One other huge positive is that the Lions will see linebacker DeAndre Levy make his season debut after sitting out the first four weeks with a hip injury. It was originally thought that he would miss possibly half of the season, but it didn't end up being nearly as bad as expected. His return will be a huge boost to the defense as theLions were truly missing his presence along the second line.

Safety James Ihedigbo (quad) was limited in practice all week while guard Larry Warford (ankle) was limited, but missed Thursday's practice entirely. Both are listed as questionable and could play on Sunday but may be seen as game-time decisions.

The list of probable players is rather long, but doesn't include anyone that likely won't be playing against the Cardinals.

Detroit needs all the healthy players they can get and it's a huge plus to get Brandon Pettigrew and DeAndre Levy back on the field. Both will add needed boosts to the offense and defense respectively, and could help the Lions get off the losing streak that they certainly don't want to continue.

Probable:
Darius Slay, CB (quad)
Corey Robinson, T (ankle)
Brandon Pettigrew, TE (hamstring)
Lance Moore, WR (ankle)
Sam Martin, P (left knee)
Rashean Mathis, CB (calf)
Travis Lewis, LB (ankle)
Ziggy Znsah, DE (shoulder)
DeAndre Levy, LB (hip)

Questionable:
James Ihedigbo, S (quad)
Larry Warford, G (ankle)

Doubtful:
None

Out:
Joique Bell, RB (ankle)
Eric Ebron, TE (knee)
Haloti Ngata, DT (calf)

Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. Danny is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.

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