The Detroit Lions took on the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon in their Week 9 contest. Detroit hit the field coming off a huge win over the Minnesota Vikings the week prior. However, they had a bit of a different look on the offensive line.
Christian Mahogany, a third-year guard out of Boston College, was benched for this contest. There was no information given prior to the game about this decision. In fact, fans and media didn't know of it until the game began. After the win, Lions head coach Dan Campbell offered a clear explanation as to why Mahogany didn't play.
“That's team rules. That's what that is. Alright, so, it really is as simple as that. We have 70 guys, 69-70 guys, and they're all, we're all, expected to do it right, and when one doesn't, that's just the way it goes. It doesn't mean this is a done deal, it's just, he deserved that,” Campbell said, via Brad Galli of The Brad Galli Show.
Overall, the Lions did enough to win this game. However, the offense didn't look great without Mahogany on the field either. Detroit gained just 270 yards of total offense on Sunday. Quarterback Jared Goff was sacked three times while failing to throw a touchdown pass in nearly two years.
Whatever Mahogany did to violate team rules is unknown. At this time, it appears this was a teaching moment for the young offensive guard. We'll see how the team and Mahogany move forward starting in Week 10 when the Lions travel to Munich, Germany to face Drake Maye and the New England Patriots.