Detroit, MI
Lions RT Penei Sewell, DT DJ Reader ACTIVE vs. Buccaneers
The Detroit Lions have declared their inactives ahead of the Week 2 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The big news is that All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell is active and will start, despite dealing with an ankle injury. Sewell is an incredibly important cog in the Lions offense scheme and his presence will allow offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to utilize his entire playbook.
Additionally, prized free agent defensive tackle DJ Reader is active for the first time as a Lion, and figures to be thrown right into the starting lineup. Reader is a monster in the middle of the defensive line and should immediately give more one-on-one opportunities to Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, and Levi Onwuzurike.
With Reader healthy, the Lions released defensive tackle, Chris Smith, earlier this week and filled his spot on the active roster with veteran Kyle Peko, who will help supplement Reader’s snaps as he acclimates back to game action. Additionally, the Lions also elevated wide receivers Tom Kennedy and Tim Patrick, bringing Detroit’s game-day roster total up to 55 players.
Because the Lions have eight offensive linemen active for Sunday’s game, they are eligible to expand their game-day roster from 47 to 48 players. Therefore, with 55 players on the game-day roster and 48 eligible to play, the Lions need to declare seven players inactive for today’s matchup.
Lions inactives:
- WR Isaiah Williams (abdomen) — Ruled OUT on Friday
- LT Giavanni Manu
- RT Colby Sorsdal
- EDGE Marcus Davenport (groin) — listed as doubtful on Friday
- LB Trevor Nowaske
- CB Ennis Rakestraw
- S Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle) — Ruled OUT on Friday
Bucs inactives:
- RT Luke Goedeke (concussion)
- DT Calijah Kancey (calf)
- CB Josh Hayes (ankle)
- S Antoine Winfield (ankle)
- TE Devin Culp
- LB Jose Ramirez
- DL Ben Stille
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield is delivering on a promise she committed to completing in her first 100 days: the city’s first Office of Neighborhood and Community Safety.
Neighbors in Detroit already look out for one another through community violence intervention groups, and this new office makes those efforts officially part of the city’s strategy.
The office’s executive director, Teferi Brent, is now bringing the work he’s already been doing for decades in-house.
“We will remove the silos that have historically prevented neighborhood-based organizations from accessing the resources and tools they need to effectively service communities in which they operate,” Brent said.
He says this office will focus on preventing crimes from happening in the first place.
“We have to address the social determinants of violence at its core with every resource we can muster. To put it in my grandmama’s terms, an ounce of prevention is always better than a pound of cure,” he said.
Organizations working to create change from inside their communities say an office like this is pivotal to making a bigger impact.
“We play our role in intervening in violent conflicts, but one of the most important parts in having support from the mayor is community transformation,” said Force Detroit Executive Director Dujuan Zoe Kennedy.
“We are coming from boots on the ground to the city. Those who would have been arrested before, those who would have been prosecuted, we are asking you to come into it. They have now flipped the script and let us be a part of this thing,” said Live In Peace Movement founder Pastor Maurice Hardwick.
The new office will also be a hub for programs focused on survivor advocacy, group violence intervention, conflict resolution, re-entry from incarceration, and the reduction of domestic violence.
It’s right back to action for the Detroit Red Wings after the Olympics, as Todd McLellan’s squad has a playoff drought to end.
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Sports Seriously
The 2026 Milano Winter Olympics are in the books, which means the NHL schedule can finally return to action.
Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin had a dream Olympic break, helping lead Team USA to a gold medal and was even on the ice when Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal vs. Canada on Sunday, Feb. 22.
But Larkin and the rest of the Olympians won’t have much time off, as there are eight games on the schedule for Wednesday, Feb. 25.
The Red Wings, who had three players (Larkin, Lucas Raymond for Sweden and Moritz Seider for Germany) playing in the Olympics, will return to the ice on Thursday, when they face the Ottawa Senators on the road at 7 p.m.
It has been a long break for the Wings, who last played Feb. 4 against the Utah Mammoth, a 4-1 loss on the road, but the first 58 games of the season have been undeniably a success.
Here’s where the Red Wings stand with the Olympic break completed and 24 games to play:
How Red Wings players fared in Olympics
Before we look ahead, let’s look back at how the three Wings did in the Olympic games in Milan.
It’s no secret that Larkin had the memorable Olympics, winning the gold medal and scoring two goals and adding an assist in his six games, but he wasn’t even close to the most productive.
That honor goes to Sweden forward Lucas Raymond, who had nine points in just five games, which included just one goal and eight assists. His final assist came in his final game, an overtime loss in the quarterfinals to the United States. He finished third in the tournament in points, behind only Canadian stars Macklin Celebrini and Connor McDavid.
Defenseman Moritz Seider and his Germany squad ended the tournament on a rough note, a 6-2 loss to Slovakia in the quarterfinals, but Seider helped the team advance out of the group stage and had two assists in the tournament.
After a strong start to the season, the Red Wings have 72 points in 58 games and are tied for second place in the Atlantic Division and tied for third in the Eastern Conference.
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes both have 78 points to lead their respective divisions, and the Montreal Canadiens also have 72 points, the same as the Wings, but have a game in hand.
Detroit Red Wings playoff odds
Can the Wings finally make the playoffs for the first time under general manager Steve Yzerman and snap a nine-year playoff drought?
If you ask the predictive models, the answer is yes.
MoneyPuck.com gives the Red Wings a 77.8% chance of making the playoffs, which is the fifth highest in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit Red Wings remaining strength of schedule
Returning to the playoffs will not be easy for the Wings, even if the odds are pretty good.
According to Tankathon, the Red Wings have the fifth-toughest remaining schedule, which is as Tankathon points out, is good for teams trying to tank their way to a top pick, but not so good for teams trying to end playoff droughts.
The Red Wings’ toughest remaining opponents are the Tampa Bay Lightning (twice), Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins.
The good news for the Wings? Many of the teams they’re competing with for playoff spots also have tough remaining schedules, with the Penguins, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres and Canadiens all in the top-10 for the toughest schedules left.
Detroit Red Wings at the NHL trade deadline
The Wings have just 24 games left, but the trade deadline has not passed yet.
That won’t happen until 3 p.m. on Friday, March 6.
Will the Wings be a big player at the deadline? That might depend on how they play over the next couple weeks. Last year, the Wings stayed quiet at the deadline, which was a point of contention between Larkin and Yzerman.
The Wings have the most current cap space of any NHL team ($46.15 million), according to PuckPedia, their first-round picks in the next three drafts and prospects to deal. The question is if Yzerman likes any deal enough to pull the trigger to add more top-end talent.
Detroit Red Wings schedule, next five games
- Thursday, Feb. 26: at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (FSND).
- Saturday, Feb. 28: at Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (FSND).
- Monday, March 2: at Nashville Predators, 2 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (FSND).
- Wednesday, March 4: vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (FSND).
- Friday, March 6: vs. Florida Panthers, 7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (FSND).
Andrew Birkle is an assistant sports editor for the Free Press. Contact him via email at abirkle@freepress.com.
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