Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson was the surprise scratch of last weekend's slate of games. Throughout last week, Johnson was expected to play despite being hampered by a knee injury. Detroit ultimately decided to keep him out against the Green Bay Packers, but Johnson said he believed he'd be back before too long.

Johnson was once again sidelined during yesterday's practice session, but this shouldn't be overly concerning unless he continues to be absent from practice later into the week. Coach Jim Schwartz said Johnson is improving, and the All-Pro has previously missed Wednesday practice sessions before taking the field on game day.

“He’s doing a little bit better every day, and if we can get him back out there — he got out on the practice field a little bit last week but wasn’t able to go,” Schwartz said. “Last year, he dealt with a lot of things and was able to be productive on a Sunday. If he can this Sunday, we’ll get him back out there, but we probably won’t make that determination until later in the week, whether he’s going to play. Whether he gets back on the practice field or not, [that] determination may not even come until Sunday. We’ll just have to see how it goes. But he’s improving.”

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