Friday afternoon Art Shell and the NFL announced that Lions DT Ndamukong Suh’s two-game suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct will be upheld.
This means that Suh will be unable to play Sunday in New Orleans and December 11th against the Minnesota Vikings. In addition to this, Suh cannot take part in any team practices at the practice facility and will be reinstated by the NFL on December 12th.
Despite the suspension, Suh’s absence will not have much of an impact on the Lions’ upcoming games.
This Sunday in New Orleans even if Suh was starting the Lions still would have lost the game. With injuries to cornerback Chris Houston and safety Louis Delmas, Saints quarterback Drew Brees should have a field day with the Lions secondary.
Again something that wasn’t changing even if Suh was playing.
The following week against Minnesota, with Suh serving the final game of his suspension the Lions will still beat the Vikings. This will be done simply because they have depth at the position that can sustain the Vikings’ offensive threat, especially if Adrian Peterson is still held out with a high ankle sprain.
Now don’t get me wrong, the team and defensive line is better with Suh in the lineup. However neither of the upcoming games against the Saints or Vikings are toss-up games that will be determined by the unavailability of one player.
Ref: ProFootballTalk.com, ESPN (image)
