Joique Bell says he’s in a lot of pain

Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell (35) runs with the ball past Washington Redskins defensive end Phillip Merling (93) in the third quarter at FedEx Field. The Lions won 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Lions RB Joique Bell suffered a rib injury last week against the Cleveland Browns, and he is listed questionable for this week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals after being limited at practice all week. Bell didn’t speak to reporters about the injury yesterday, but he did write down his feelings on a piece of paper. The Detroit Free Press’s Dave Birkett reports that Bell said he feels “good”, but he also wrote on the piece of paper that he is in “a lot” of pain. In fact, he wrote two exclamation marks on a piece of paper to emphasize just how much pain he is in.

Bell is expected to play on Sunday, but he is also expected to play with some sort of protective gear. It will be interesting to see if the Lions give a larger role to Theo Riddick as a result of the injury, and Bell’s injury is definitely something that Reggie Bush fantasy owners can take full advantage of.

The fact that he says he is in “a lot” of pain means that the rib injury is a bit more serious than I thought, but I don’t anticipate him being out this week. We’ll see how effective he is, but he is still going to make his  presence felt. Bell has three rushing touchdowns this season, and he has obviously made a huge impact as a receiver out of the backfield. Lions head coach called Joique Bell a “tough guy”, and Birkett reports that Bell circled the “a lot” he wrote as an answer to a question about how much progress he has made on the injury. It will most likely be a game-time decision, but I think Bell plays.

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