Lions

Lions DL Mekhi Wingo was ready to play Week 1 after having a second knee surgery this summer, but he has since been inactive as the injury flared back up. Detroit HC Dan Campbell believes they need to let Wingo have more time at practice to get to full health, and he pointed to their defensive line depth as a reason they feel comfortable in doing so. 

“It was good to get him in there for a game. And then we just felt like, ‘Hey man, lets give this guy some more time just to get his legs under him, get him a little more seasoned.’ I mean, he’d only had really a week of practice, if that, coming off of that. Had no training camp,” Campbell said, via Billy Riccette of the Lions Wire.

“But we do feel like, man, he’s getting better and better every week. Look, we like where he’s at. We’re fortunate, we’ve got pretty good depth in that room right now. (Lions Executive Vice President/General Manager) Brad (Holmes)’s done an unbelievable job.”

• The skirmish between Lions S Brian Branch and Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster after last night’s game will be reviewed, and per an NFL official, “determinations on discipline made from there.” (Adam Schefter)

Lions

Lions DB Brian Branch regrets the skirmish that resulted in him receiving a one-game suspension after striking WR JuJu Smith-Schuster.

“It was a childish thing, but I’m tired of people doing stuff in between the play and refs don’t catch it,” Branch said, via ESPN. “They be trying to bully me out there. I should have never did it. It was childish.”

Lions HC Dan Campbell said he spoke with Branch and said his behavior was inexcusable.

“I love Brian Branch,” Campbell said, “but what he did is inexcusable, and it’s not going to be accepted here. It’s not what we do. It’s not what we’re about. I apologized to Coach [Andy] Reid and the Chiefs, and Smith-Schuster. That’s not OK. That’s not what we do here. It’s not going to be OK. He knows it. Our team knows it. That’s not what we do.”

Lions veteran DT D.J. Reader said he plans to speak with Branch once the emotions settle down.

“We’ll have that conversation. It’s hard to have that conversation right now because everybody’s trying to have the conversation,” Reader said. “I’m sure I’ll get a chance to talk to him, but it’s tough because he’s got that stinger for a reason as a player and you don’t ever want to take that away, but you also want him to be smart. Not only for us, but also for himself. To protect his money, to protect him.”

Packers

Packers K Lucas Havrisik made the most of his opportunity as the team’s fill-in kicker, nailing both field goals and all three extra-point attempts.

“It’s of course strange, but I try to do my best to adapt to the situation,” Havrisik said, via NY Times. “I’ve had a lot of workouts in the NFL … I’m a little fried, mentally, I guess. I treat it as, this is your job and be prepared as best as possible and be ready for sudden change, so yeah, it’s crazy, though.”

Packers HC Matt LaFleur was asked what was going through his mind when Havrisik trotted onto the field for a crucial 39-yard kick.

“What was going through yours?” LaFleur asked the reporter who asked that question. “It was probably the same thing going through mine. You just hold your breath. I mean, we all know the issues we’ve had up front, too, in those situations (the Packers have had two kicks blocked this season). And that’s where my focus was. It was more on just the protection, which I thought our guys, they did an outstanding job all game long.”

Havrisik could be out of a job next week if K Brandon McManus is able to return, but he cherishes the moment in any case.

“I just treated it as a normal game day. It was a long day in the hotel waiting. It was weird, but I’m glad it all worked out,” Havrisik said. “Very happy to be here and play some football.”

• Havrisik was set to be a substitute teacher in Cleveland but made clutch kicks for Green Bay, drawing praise from RB Josh Jacobs: “I don’t even know his name,” Josh Jacobs said, “but he came in and made some big-time kicks.” (Matt Schneidman)

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