With Taylor Decker sidelined by a shoulder injury, the Detroit Lions entered Week 5 uncertain at left tackle. Second-year lineman Giovanni Manu started in Sunday’s win (37-24) over the Cincinnati Bengals, but the gap was clear, and Jared Goff openly addressed the struggles afterward.

Still, the quarterback’s tone wasn’t harsh. Instead, he made sure to back his young teammate. “I thought he fought his tail off. It’s hard man. It’s you know, it’s his first game and everybody’s first game, there’s gonna be mistakes made and that’s what I tried to tell him is Dude,” Goff said. The31-year-old wanted Manu to know it’s all part of the process.

He added, “You’re not gonna be perfect. You’re gonna make mistakes. It’s okay. Like just, just as long as the next one is better and the next one you learn. So yeah, I thought he I thought he fought hard. I know there’s a couple he’d like back. But I thought I did some good things in the run game and, and even the pass game. There were some good, good moments too, but he fought.” Meanwhile, the numbers told a similar story.

Pro Football Focus credited Manu with a 64.3 overall grade on 62 snaps. His run-blocking score of 67.6 showed some promise. But in pass protection, his issues were obvious, especially against Bengals star Trey Hendrickson.

The left tackle had 28 pass-blocking snaps. He didn’t give up a hurry or a hit, but every time Hendrickson slipped through, the damage was immediate. Two sacks on Goff told the story. One came early, when the Lions were up 7-0 and driving. That fumble cost them momentum and gave Cincinnati an extra shot. Luckily, it didn’t sink Detroit.

The Bengals were rolling with Jake Browning instead of Joe Burrow, which softened the blow. Long term though this might force a shift. However, for now we might see the 24-year-old again as HC Dan Campbell explained Decker’s future plans.

Jared Goff and co. get Taylor Decker update from HC

The Lions came out of Week 5 with a win over the Bengals, but it didn’t come without questions. Missing Taylor Decker on the blind side was obvious, and the Lions felt it. After the game, Dan Campbell was asked if his left tackle could return for Week 6 against the Chiefs. His answer didn’t exactly clear things up.

“We’ll see,” Campbell said. “We’re gonna look at everything here.” So what’s the plan?

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Campbell wasn’t hiding his cautious approach. “We’ll see where Decker’s at. Obviously, that’s always gonna be our first choice, see where Decker is. But I don’t wanna put Decker out there if it means that we get a couple of games and we don’t have him for the rest of the year. It makes no sense. So, we’ll play this smart. We’ll do what’s right.” So, Decker won’t be rushed back, no matter how badly the team wants him.

Meanwhile, Campbell pointed to a mix of replacements. Veteran Dan Skipper, practice squad tackle Devin Cochran, and Giovanni Manu could all get looks. Not exactly a dream trio, especially with Chris Jones and George Karlaftis waiting on the other side in Arrowhead.

And that leaves Jared Goff in a tricky spot. Losing a steady left tackle against one of the NFL’s most aggressive fronts isn’t ideal. Campbell promised another update on Monday, with the first Week 6 injury report dropping Wednesday. By then, the Lions and their fans will know if Decker is suiting up.