SANTA CLARA – Of the 53 players currently on the Detroit Lions roster, only running back David Montgomery will miss tonight's NFC Championship Game rematch against the San Francisco 49ers due to injury.
Montgomery injured his knee two weeks ago in Detroit's loss to Buffalo and hasn't practiced since. Detroit is still holding out hope Montgomery can return for the playoffs, which is why he remains on the 53-man roster, but he's inactive for tonight's game as he was last week in Chicago.
Veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who joined the Lions earlier this week after coaching his alma mater to a Florida high school state championship, is also inactive and will serve as the emergency quarterback against the 49ers. If both Jared Goff and backup Hendon Hooker are unable to play either by disqualification or injury, then Bridgewater may enter the game.
With Graham Glasgow rejoining the starting lineup tonight at left guard after missing last week's win against the Bears, backup interior offensive lineman Kayode Awosika returns to inactive status. He's joined by offensive linemen Colby Sorsdal and Giovanni Manu on Detroit's inactive list tonight.
The Lions are the healthiest they've been on defense in a while and that means just two healthy scratches on that side of the ball as defensive linemen Jonah Williams and Brodric Martin are inactive.
Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin is active for the first time since suffering a neck injury and his return is a big boost for Detroit's defense and special teams. He was a Pro Bowler last year as a specialist.
The team also elevated running back Jermar Jefferson and defensive lineman Chris Smith from the practice squad and both will be active tonight.
