The loss of Campbell is significant. His blocking could have helped them as they try to establish the run, and he can catch, too. But he couldn't stay healthy - he played only two games before going on IR with an elbow problem last season, and now he has a hamstring problem - and the Lions are still three deep at tight end with Michael Gaines, Casey Fitzsimmons and John Owens.

Middleton didn't make the final cut when the Lions decided to keep only four wide receivers on the 53-man roster. But he is back to help bolster the return game. He will handle kick returns immediately and maybe punt returns in the future

PLAYER NOTES

--LB Paris Lenon, who suffered a minor knee injury Sunday and was limited in practice Wednesday, returned to full practice Thursday and should be fine.

--LB Ernie Sims was listed as limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday because of an ankle injury, but he appears to be fine.

--CB Leigh Bodden has won the starting job over Travis Fisher, but Fisher will still rotate with Bodden and Brian Kelly.

--S Daniel Bullocks could start over Gerald Alexander. He seems fine after missing last season with a torn ACL.

--LB Jordon Dizon will play more Sunday than the 14 snaps he played at Atlanta. He said he didn't miss a play call against the Falcons.

--RG Manny Ramirez cold start over Stephen Peterman, who has struggled at times throughout training camp, the exhibition season and the opener.

--RT George Foster remains ahead of first-round pick Gosder Cherilus and faces a tough task this week in Packers DE Aaron Kampman.

GAME PLAN: The Lions must stop the run and put pressure on a quarterback making one of his first NFL starts. They didn't do that in their opener against Atlanta and got pummeled. Their defense gave up big plays early and had trouble tackling throughout. They fell behind the Falcons by three touchdowns in the first quarter and cannot afford to do that against the Packers. Their best chance is to establish the run, control the clock and keep that defense off the field.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Lions WR Roy Williams vs. Packers CB Al Harris - Williams often struggles against, and he has great respect for the man who will be most responsible for covering him. Williams often says Harris is the toughest corner he faces, because Harris is so physical with him off the line. These are Williams' career yardage totals against the Packers: 13, 13, 53, 138, 11 and 32. That's one big performance among six games against a key division rival.

Lions RTs George Foster or Gosder Cherilus vs. Packers DE Aaron Kampman: The Lions face a dilemma: Should they start Foster, who gave a spotty performance in the opener at Atlanta, with John Abraham blowing past him with an inside move for a sack? Or should they give Cherilus, their first-round pick this year, his first NFL start? It seems they will start Foster. But either way, they are likely going to see mistakes against Kampman, one of the best left ends in the league, who had a sack in the Packers' opener. Kampman had two sacks in each of his last two games against Detroit.

Lions run defense vs. Packers RB Ryan Grant: The lions allowed 318 rushing yards Sunday at Atlanta. Grant rushed for 92 yards on 12 carries Monday night against Minnesota. The Lions' tackling was atrocious against the Falcons, who set a team rushing record and became the third team to reach 300 yards against the Lions. Grant did his damage against the NFL's top rush defense from last season - and he did it with a sore hamstring.

INJURY IMPACT: Besides third quarterback Drew Stanton's sprained thumb, which will keep him out at least another week, the Lions have no major injuries.