Despite moving to 11-1 with a 23-20 win over the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day, the Detroit Lions have had some bad injury luck on defense this season. They’ve seen stars like Aiden Hutchinson and Alex Anzalone go down and have lost several other pieces, a trend that continued on Thursday.
Former Washington Huskies star defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike was among the players who needed assistance getting off the field and missed the second half after being ruled out with a hamstring injury.
After the game, head coach Dan Campbell offered an update on Onwuzurike and fellow defensive lineman Josh Paschal.
“I feel like it’ll be okay,” he said. “It could be a little bit. They could be down for a bit.”
Onwuzurike had played in every game this season after missing seven contests in 2023 and the entire 2022 season with various injuries. He has 19 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 10 quarterback hits on the season and is finally becoming the player the Lions hoped he would when the organization selected him in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft.
The Lions have Super Bowl aspirations this season, and the 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive lineman has shown to be an important piece of the puzzle up front. He now has a week to recover before Detroit’s next game, when they play on Thursday for the second week in a row, on December 5 against the Green Bay Packers, and then has until December 15 to rest when the Lions take on the Buffalo Bills.
Even if he has to miss a few weeks, Onwuzurike may be able to return for a stretch run as Detroit looks to lock up the No. 1 spot in the NFC and the coveted bye week that comes with it.