(Photo: Eric Christian Smith, Associated Press)
Allen Park — Is a dress rehearsal really a dress rehearsal if the show's stars don't participate? That's the question as the Detroit Lions head into the team's third preseason game, Friday night at Ford Field against the Buffalo Bills.
It's unclear, and likely will remain so until shortly before kickoff, whether many of Detroit's key starters, including quarterback Matthew Stafford, will play in the contest. It used to be starters played the first half of the third preseason game, but philosophies are shifting around the league with the increasing frequency of joint practices replacing the need for preseason reps.