Category: Lions News

Lions post-Week 10 injury report and medical analysis

Lions post-Week 10 injury report and medical analysis after the win in Houston and getting ready for Week 11 and the Jaguars

I just returned from Houston where I voluntarily and eagerly overdosed on smoked brisket and Tex-Mex fajitas. Conversely, I involuntarily and begrudgingly overdosed on watching interceptions. At least the final result was a panacea.

Other notes from the stadium:

  • The Texans Battle Red helmets looked fantastic with the mirror red finish. The Lions silver helmets look much shinier and sparkly in person than they do on TV. With the Lions blueberries, this could have been a gorgeous color rush game but alas.
  • The roof was open for only the second time since 2021 which afforded a nice view of the moon and the fireworks. Fortunately, there was not even a hint of wind as that could easily have changed the outcome of the game with how tight Jake Bates’ field goals were to the uprights.
  • Credit to the Texans fans for being raucous all game and the Lions fans for bringing the heat in the fourth quarter. It was an excellent Sunday night atmosphere all the way around.

The game was overall a very healthy one for the Lions. Nothing live at the game jumped out to me from an injury standpoint. There were some minor concerns upon TV review, but the initial injury report is reassuring. The main concern was Sam LaPorta and there is early good news with him.

DETROIT LIONS

Sam LaPorta TE (NP) shoulder

LaPorta suffered a left AC joint sprain. Dan Campbell on Wednesday called it “day-to-day”. If this was the playoffs or a significant regular season game, I would fully expect him to play. Since it’s not, I expect him to miss at least this Sunday vs the Jaguars. There is no long-term concern though.

Taylor Decker OT (LP) shoulder

Decker stated he had a rotator cuff strain in practice last week. He has a history of shoulder labrum surgery in 2017 to the same side. Fortunately, the signs are that this is a minor, short-term issue. Dan Campbell on Wednesday stated “I feel better about having Decker this week… I think he’s going to be able to make it”.

Malcolm Rodriguez LB (LP) ankle

After two straight weeks of NP’s, upgrading to an LP on Wednesday is a good sign that he may be ready to go after missing two games.

Brodric Martin DT (FP) knee

After being on IR all year with a right knee hyperextension, Martin had his 21-day practice window opened on October 30. Expect him to be out for the Jaguars game and moved to the active roster early next week.

Ifeatu Melifonwu S (FP) ankle

Coming off IR with a suspected Achilles tendonitis, Melifonwu’s practice window opened November 6. He’s very likely out on Sunday but should be moved to the active roster before Thanksgiving.

Emmanuel Moseley CB (FP) pec

Recovering from his torn pec in August, Moseley’s 21-day practice window opened November 6. Like Melifonwu, he’s also likely out this Sunday but will move to the active roster before Thanksgiving.

Za’Darius Smith DE (FP) personal

Smith got a personal bye week after the trade and should be raring to go this week.

NOTABLES

Graham Glasgow in the first drive vs the Texans landed on his head and got up shaking his head. This was not shown on TV but I noticed it at the game. Fortunately, there has been no concussion diagnosis.

Carlton Davis in the 3rd quarter got kneed hard in the back of the right lower leg and limped off the field. This was likely just a contusion as he returned to play. Direct impact to that area can lead to a much worse outcome as we saw with Aidan Hutchinson’s tib/fib.

Alim McNeill appeared to be having right TMJ (temporomandibular joint) pain in the 3rd quarter. I reviewed video of the play as well as multiple previous plays of his and didn’t see any trauma to that area. Possibly, he just bit down hard and injured that joint. He was able to return to the game and should be fine going forward. Most TMJ pains will resolve on their own without significant treatment. Injecting the joint is an option to relieve pain and inflammation.

Terrion Arnold, on the Lions final defensive play, had his right ankle area banged a couple times which left him limping off the field. Good to see him unlisted which means it’s likely just a contusion.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Trevor Lawrence QB (NP) left shoulder

Lawrence missed last game with a non-throwing AC joint sprain and will also miss the Lions game. Mac Jones was 14/22 for 111 yards last game vs the Vikings.

Tank Bigsby RB (NP) ankle

Bigsby is the Jaguars #1 RB this year with 519 yards. He has been having an ankle issue the past 2-3 weeks and aggravated it last game. With an NP, there is a good chance he’ll get some time off which would mean Travis Etienne Jr. (298 yards) likely takes the bulk of the carries.

Brian Thomas WR (LP) chest

Thomas, the Jaguars #1 WR, hurt his ribs two weeks ago but hasn’t missed a game. Expect him to play on Sunday.

NOTABLES

Christian Kirk, the Jaguars 2nd-leading WR, is on IR with a clavicle fracture suffered two weeks ago.

Here is the full report:

 

Jake Bates honored for his heroic 4th quarter vs. Texans

Lions kicker Jake Bates honored for his heroic 4th quarter vs. Texans as the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Jake Bates made Detroit Lions history in the team’s Week 10 comeback win in Houston. Bates became the first kicker — on a franchise with a rich history of great kickers — to make two field goals of at least 50 yards in the fourth quarter of the same game. The second of those came from 52 yards as time expired and provided the winning margin.

His late-game heroics in the 26-23 win over the Texans earned Bates the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honor. It’s the second of his career, after nailing a 44-yard game-winner against the Vikings in Minnesota.

Bates joins return specialist Kalif Raymond in winning the NFC Special Teams honor in the last month. Raymond picked up the honors in Detroit’s win over Tennessee.

Jaguars will not play injured Trevor Lawrence against the Lions

The Lions will face backup QB Mac Jones for the Jaguars in Week 11 with Trevor Lawrence ruled out with a shoulder injury

The Detroit Lions host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11, but the Jaguars will not look the same as they typically do. Thanks to an injured shoulder, starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been ruled out for the game by Jaguars coach Doug Pederson.

Lawrence was injured in Jacksonville’s Week 9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He did not play in the Jaguars’ punchless 12-7 loss to the Vikings in Week 10. As was the case in that game, Mac Jones will get the start against the Lions.

While Lawrence’s play has been uneven this season, it’s a significant downgrade to Jones. The former Patriots draft bust completed 14 of his 22 passes for 111 yards against Minnesota, losing a fumble and throwing two interceptions in a game Jacksonville lost despite not allowing a touchdown.

 

Lions add two familiar names to practice squad

Lions add two familiar names to practice squad

The Lions signed two players to their practice squad Tuesday. One was defensive end Isaiah Thomas, which the team announced. The other is wide receiver Maurice Alexander, as reported by Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston.

Thomas has appeared in two games this season for the Lions, against the Packers and the Titans. He had three tackles and a fumble recovery in Detroit’s 52-14 blowout win over the Titans. He was waived by the Lions on November 9 but is now back with the team on their practice squad.

Alexander has spent most of the last two seasons on Detroit’s practice squad. He did appear in four games on special teams duty as a returner in 2022. Before joining the Lions in 2022, he was a kick returner for the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL. He played quarterback, wide receiver and return man during his college days at Florida International.

Lions offer injury updates on Sam LaPorta and Taylor Decker

Lions coach Dan Campbell offers injury updates on Sam LaPorta and Taylor Decker after the Week 10 win in Houston

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell offered up some encouraging health updates on a couple of key Lions offensive players.

In his Monday press conference after the team’s comeback Week 10 win in Houston, Campbell gave vaguely positive status reports on left tackle Taylor Decker and tight end Sam LaPorta. Decker missed Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury, while LaPorta left the game in the second half with a shoulder injury of his own.

“Decker’s questionable but trending the right way,” Campbell said of the veteran left tackle. That’s an unofficial status designation by Campbell; the team doesn’t determine an official game status until after Friday’s practice.

Campbell offered a little more detail on LaPorta, leaving his status for the Week 11 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars up in the air,

“Yeah, it’s still – look, it’ll be day-to-day but not – we don’t feel like this is something like, ‘Oh, man, this going to be a long, nagging injury.’ I think we’ll get through it. I’m hopeful this week, but I can’t say that – he’s questionable.”

Watch: Dan Campbell delivers another epic postgame speech following Lions’ rally in Houston

Dan Campbell delivers another epic postgame speech following Lions’ rally in Houston

Resiliency. That’s been a key word regarding the 2024 Detroit Lions. The latest example came Sunday night when the Lions erased a 16-point deficit to score a 26-23 win on a game-winning field goal over the Houston Texans.

Needless to say, the locker room was buzzing after the game. Head coach Dan Campbell provided yet another of his prime postgame speeches, which started with Campbell saying “That is the definition of resiliency.”

 

The Lions could have packed it in, took their lumps and leave Houston with a 7-2 record. Instead, they kept control of the NFC, improving to 8-1 heading into a home game next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Jared Goff not fazed by 5-interception game: ‘I’ve been through a whole lot worse than that’

Jared Goff not fazed by 5-interception game: ‘I’ve been through a whole lot worse than that’

Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw five interceptions. The offense looked out of sorts. Yet, the Lions found a way to win on Sunday Night Football, 26-23 over the Houston Texans.

For Goff, it may have been a rough day, but he’s putting things into a bigger perspective. He spoke with the media after the game and explained how he’s been through much worse.

“I honestly didn’t feel like I was playing all that bad, and I was seeing things well,” Goff said. “I was throwing it well. I had some unfortunate things there early, but I’ve been through a whole lot worse than that. I’ve been to the bottom. Mentally I’ve been to the bottom. Some unlucky plays isn’t going to throw me off my game.”

Goff went on to add:” It’s a battle. It’s hard. I didn’t feel like I was playing all that bad. I was seeing things well. The tipped ball — ultimately I have to take care of the ball, but they were playing some good plays, and some things that weren’t going our way, and I think ultimately I never lost confidence because I felt like I was doing what I was supposed to do on most of those plays. Our defense really bailed us out. They really did all day. The guys stuck with me on offense, and I’m telling them, ‘Hey, man, I’m good, just hang in there, and I’m good, I’m going to have this thing figured out’. They stuck with me.”

In the end, the five interceptions were a mere bump in the road on Detroit’s path to the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Even with Goff having an off day, the Lions still found a way to win. That’s the sign of a Super Bowl contender.

Lions first-down defense deserves credit in the Week 10 comeback win in Houston

Lions first-down defense deserves credit in the Week 10 comeback win against the Texans, notably in the second half

In watching Sunday night’s amazing comeback win by the Lions in Houston, one of the things that stood out in real-time was how well the Detroit defense handled business on first downs. It sure felt that way in the second half, when Aaron Glenn’s defense pitched a shutout against C.J. Stroud and the Texans.

That led me to do a little research into if my real-time perception was accurate. I went back and looked at every 1st-and-10 play the Texans ran in the second half:

1- Carlton Davis INT on a short out route from Stroud

2- Joe Mixon inside run for 1 yard

3- Mixon inside run for 1 yard, same play as the last one

4- Mixon outside run for 6 yards (Davis snagged another INT on the next play)

5- Mixon outside left run for 5 yards, with Carlton Davis getting shaken up on the tackle

6- Mixon outside run for 4 yards, negated by a very obvious holding penalty (creating 1st-and-20)

7- Stroud incomplete pass deep right to TE Cade Stover, tight coverage by Jack Campbell

8- Stroud to TE Dalton Schultz for 17 yards over the middle, a busted zone coverage by the Lions LBs

9- Mixon outside run for no gain, hit in the backfield

10- Mixon inside run for 4 yards, though he was hit in the backfield on the play

11- Mixon off right tackle for 2 yards

12- Mixon inside run for 4 yards on a draw play

Tallying it all up, the Texans ran the ball on 1st-and-10 nine times in the second half. Those nine carries by Joe Mixon gained 27 yards, but the penalty on LG Juice Scruggs knocked the net down to 17 yards on those nine attempts. Stroud completed 1-of-3 passes for 17 yards, with another of those being picked off.

That’s 12 plays for Houston on 1st-and-10 netting a total of 34 yards and a takeaway by the Lions defense. If you’re looking for a reason why the Lions were able to come back, the impressive work on first downs against a predictable Texans offense after halftime is a big one.

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Lions snap count notes: Dan Campbell rode his starters heavily vs. Texans

Lions snap count notes: Dan Campbell rode his starters heavily in the Week 10 win over the Houston Texans

Injuries across the Detroit Lions roster forced head coach Dan Campbell to ask a lot of his healthy regular starters, and also more than expected from several reserves. It wasn’t always pretty of confidence-inducing, but the Lions delivered in a thrilling 26-23 comeback win.

The snap counts from Detroit’s Week 10 trip to Houston reveal just how strapped for healthy bodies the Lions were in a few spots. It starts on the defense.

Nine defensive starters played at least 58 of the 68 snaps in the game. That includes five iron men:

Safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch
Linebackers Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell
Cornerback Terrion Arnold

Cornerback Carlton Davis missed three plays after leaving briefly with a minor injury.

Linemen Josh Paschal, Alim McNeill and Levi Onwuzurike all played an absurd amount of snaps for big men thanks to the myriad injuries around them. Paschal was on the field for 61 snaps, with McNeill at 59 and Onwuzurike at 58. That’s over 85 percent for each.

In the third LB vs. third CB snap rate–the Lions almost always have one or the other, but not both, on the field–SAM Trevor Nowaske played more than nickel/slot Amik Robertson, 33 to 29.

The Lions only used No. 4 CB Kindle Vildor on three plays–the ones Davis sat out. No other corners played beyond special teams. Joseph and Branch were the only safeties who played. Reserve Brandon Joseph only played on special teams, while rookie Loren Strickland was inactive in Week 10.

On offense, the starting line and QB Jared Goff all played all 65 snaps. Veteran Dan Skipper got the nod at left tackle with Taylor Decker inactive due to a shoulder injury.

Jamarco Jones made his Lions debut with one official snap as an extra tackle (Skipper’s normal role), though he had two other plays that were negated due to penalties. No other linemen played outside of special teams.

The ever-popular running back splits saw Jahmyr Gibbs getting 60 percent of the workload to David Montgomery’s 40 percent. The Lions had one or the other in on every snap, but never played more than one. Gibbs and Montgomery were the only RBs who played on offense, with Craig Reynolds and Sione Vaki very busy on special teams.

Jameson Williams returned from his two-game suspension and quickly resumed his WR2 role. He played 48 of the 65 offensive snaps, followed by Tim Patrick (32), Kalif Raymond (16) and Allen Robinson (4). Third TE Shane Zylstra got 19 snaps, behind Sam LaPorta (39) and Brock Wright (37), showing the Lions’ need for auxiliary blocking with Decker sidelined.

Top photos from the Lions amazing comeback win in Houston

Top photos from the Lions amazing comeback win in Houston

The Detroit Lions pulled off a prime-time comeback for the ages on Sunday night. After falling behind the Houston Texans inside NRG Stadium by a 23-7 halftime score, the Lions stopped making so many mistakes and turned it around.

The Lions capped off the improbable road win over the AFC South-leading Texans when first-year kicker Jake Bates snuck a 52-yard field goal just inside the left upright, giving the Lions a 26-23 win.

Here are some of the top photos from the professionals inside the stadium for the Lions Week 10 win.