After a 3-3 start to the season, the Detroit Lions are off for their bye week.
Despite it being a bit of an early bye, it seems to have come at a good time for the Lions, at least from an injury standpoint.
"Yeah, no doubt," head coach Jim Caldwell said of the timing. "There's no question about it, we had quite a few guys get a little banged up during the course of the game, so just like I mentioned yesterday, if we were playing a Thursday game it'd be really tough. If we were playing a Sunday game it might be even fairly tough, so this comes at a great time for us."
The Lions held one practice Tuesday before breaking for the bye, and while a lot of guys sat out, one in particular stood out.
Punter Sam Martin returned to practice for the first time this season after sitting out the first six games of the season on the Non-Football Injury list.
The Lions now have three weeks to decide if they're going to activate Martin to the 53-man roster. He's eligible to play as early as Detroit's next game Oct. 29 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football.
LOOKING BACK
The bye week is a great opportunity to take a look back and see where each unit stands six games into the season:
Offense: Top plays | Best photos | Report card
Defense: Top plays | Best photos | Report card
Special teams: Best photos
OTHER NOTEWORTHY ITEMS:
- Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone Week 6 in Minnesota. How will his injury affect the NFC North race?
- Find out what's being said about the Lions as they head to their bye week after a 3-3 start to the season.
- Terrific blocking helped spring rookie cornerback Jamal Agnew's 74-yard punt return touchdown against the Saints. Check out the full film review on the play here.
