Lions running back Sione Vaki is questionable for Sunday's matchup against the New England Patriots.
Vaki (ankle) didn't practice each of the first two days this week, but he was a limited participant on Friday. The Lions had already ruled out safety Kerby Joseph, center Cade Mays, and cornerback D.J. Reed. That trio didn't travel to Munich, Germany.
Amon-Ra St. Brown was also listed as questionable on Friday. It feels unlikely that St. Brown would actually miss this game, given his proud German heritage.
A look at Detroit's Friday game statuses, per @Lions: pic.twitter.com/eU0CijKjtp
— The Lions Wire (@thelionswire) November 13, 2026
It would be significant if Vaki can't go, though. Vaki has been emerging as the Lions' change-of-pace back to superstar Jahmyr Gibbs.
Vaki registered 65 rushing yards
11 carries in the Lions' 19-15 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 1.
“Vaki was one of the guys we challenged this week going into this game,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of Vaki after the Detroit's win over the Vikings. “We were going to need him. He needed to show up. He was going to need to get some carries for us, some significant carries. They needed to be real yards, and he was going to need to be able to pass protect for us. And I thought he took a big step today. That’s a huge step. He gained a lot of trust today. A ton.”
With the Lions looking for a consistent backup running back since the offseason trade of David Montgomery and the unfortunate long-term injury to Isiah Pacheco, Vaki's emergence has been key.
“Vaki ran his tail off,” Goff said of Vaki after their Vikings win. “And when he’s able to do that, it just gives Gibbs that much more of a breath on the sideline to come back and do his thing at his full capacity. And the O-line loved it. They loved the challenge of, like, we’re going to keep leaning on you guys. And I thought they played great.”
Vaki's status will be one to monitor on game day.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Detroit Lions' Sione Vaki questionable vs. New England Patriots
