Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate may have made this fantastic play in Sunday’s loss to the Saints, but he’s likely going to be sidelined for a few weeks with a shoulder injury.
According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, Tate will undergo an MRI to acquire a full understanding of the extent of the injury. But he’s expected to miss a few weeks.
#Lions WR Golden Tate, who injured his shoulder Sunday, is expected to miss time, source says. Likely a few weeks. MRI will tell full story.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 16, 2017
This could be a major blow for a Lions team that’s now lost three of its past four games after a 2-0 start to the season. Quarterback Matthew Stafford struggled with both injury and turnovers in Sunday’s 42-38 loss to New Orleans. All three of his turnovers turned into defensive touchdowns for the Saints.
Now, with Tate unlikely to play over the short term, one has to wonder if Stafford is going to press further. Tate leads the team in receptions (36) and receiving yards (363) this season. He’s also caught an absurd 70 percent of the passes Stafford has thrown in his direction since joining the Lions back in 2014.
With Tate out of action, the Lions will be asking the likes of Marvin Jones, Eric Ebron and currently injured rookie receiver Kenny Golladay to step up in the passing game.
The good news here is that Detroit has a Week 7 bye before taking on Pittsburgh at home in two weeks.