The Lions aren't the same team without running back Reggie Bush on the field. We learned that in Week 3, when Detroit's ground game withered up in a tight win over the Washington Redskins as Bush watched from the sideline with a left knee injury.
On Friday, an injury to Bush's right leg kept him out of practice ahead of Sunday's tilt with the Dallas Cowboys, the team announced.
The Detroit News described it as an upper leg tweak, and Bush was seen with the leg wrapped after not being listed on Thursday's injury report. Also missing the session were offensive tackle Corey Hilliard (knee), safety Louis Delmas (knees) and wide receiver Nate Burleson (arm), but Bush's absence comes out of nowhere.
We don't expect him to miss Sunday's game -- not until we hear something more dire -- but if he can't handle a full workload, Joique Bell will be in for a busy day. Bell has shown well in limited snaps, but no one can replace Bush's playmaking ability in Detroit. We'll keep an eye on this one.
UPDATE: Bush told reporters Friday that he missed practice for "precautionary" reasons, per the Detroit Free Press. The running back said his absence was not related to his previous knee injury.
"I'm fine," Bush said, per MLive.com. "I'm playing Sunday. That's all you guys need to know. That's it."
We previewed every Week 8 game in the latest "Around The League Podcast."**