Williams could be lost for season
Pro Bowl receiver Roy Williams will miss several weeks - possibly the rest of the season - with a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Williams suffered the injury in the second quarter of Sunday's 42-10 loss to the Vikings when he landed hard on his leg after a 43-yard catch.
He stayed in for the next play and tried playing one snap each of the next two series, then retreated to the sideline for the rest of the game.
"It's real frustrating," said Williams, who leads the Lions with 63 catches for 836 yards. "No. 1, I was off to a good start against the Minnesota Vikings, who I was really amped for. It was 14-10 (when I got hurt) and it was tough for me to sit on the sideline not being able to help my guys and knowing that a lot was riding on this ballgame."
Lions coach Rod Marinelli said Williams "could be gone for the year," though no determination has been made whether to put him on injured reserve. Regardless, a receiver, likely Brandon Middleton, will be called up from the practice squad.
If Williams is not reserved, Middleton could take safety LaMarcus Hicks' roster spot. Hicks broke his left ankle Sunday and will miss the rest of the season.
Williams said he was in pain Monday but the injury does not require surgery.
His absence likely means more playing time for rookie Calvin Johnson, who was mysteriously absent from Sunday's game plan after catching a career-high seven passes Thanksgiving Day against the Packers.
Calvin Johnson, the No. 2 pick in the draft, did not start against the Vikings.
Cornerback Travis Fisher was the only other injury concern Monday. Fisher banged his wrist on a second-half interception return, but said Sunday X-rays showed no break and he expects to play this week against Dallas.
The Lions (6-6) have lost four straight games after a 6-2 start, while the Cowboys (11-1) have the best record in the NFC.
"All we got to do is win one," Williams said. "You get that feeling back, you get that taste of winning back, this team may take off again."
Rod's take
Marinelli said he did not agree with quarterback Jon Kitna's postgame assessment that the Lions "are not heading in the same direction right now as a football team."
"I think it all gets corrected when you play well and you do what you're supposed to do," Marinelli said. "All those things get taken care of."
Rush help
Rookie defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis said he expects to play this week after missing the last three games with a hamstring injury.
If he's healthy, there's a good chance Alama-Francis will be active for the first time since Sept. 30 and just the third time this season.
The Lions have one sack in the past two games and will use the next four weeks to evaluate Alama-Francis, a second-round pick out of Hawaii, and veteran end Kalimba Edwards heading into the offseason.
Edwards lost his starting spot at right end two weeks ago and could be a salary-cap casualty next year.
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