ALLEN PARK -- Ezekiel Ansah said it was "sad" that he couldn't practice fully with his teammates heading into a Week 2 game against San Francisco.

Then he missed that game. Then he returned to practice. Then he missed another game anyway. And now he's back to missing practice.

The carousel continues to spin like so, and there's no telling when Ansah will be able to hop off, although it's looking increasingly likely it won't happen in time for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Ansah missed another day of practice on Thursday, as did tight end Michael Roberts (knee), their second in a row. Ansah is dealing with a shoulder injury that bounced him from the season opener after just 19 snaps, and has kept him from playing since.

Romeo Okwara, picked up off waivers earlier this month, has replaced Ansah in the starting lineup. He has two hits and one hurry, but no sacks. His three QB pressures rank 83rd at the position.

The Lions pas rush has been productive anyway, racking up eight sacks the last two weeks -- all by linebackers -- but they clearly miss their star pass rusher up front.

"I just like to be out there fighting with my brothers," Ansah said back in Week 2. "It's sad. It's sad to be going through this and not being able to be out there helping them win."

And a couple weeks later, there's still no end to his absence in sight.