Tag: Detroit Lions injuries

Josh Paschal’s illness put the Lions in a pass rushing bind vs Titans

Starting DE Josh Paschal’s illness put the Lions in a pass rushing bind vs Titans, but head coach Dan Campbell has a plan

Just when it seemed like some much-needed stability and good fortune was coming to the Detroit Lions defensive line, more adversity struck. Starting DE Josh Paschal, who bagged the first of Detroit’s four sacks of Sam Darnold in Week 7, is suffering from an illness that has kept him out of practice all week.

Based on Dan Campbell’s press conference before Friday’s session, don’t expect Paschal to suit up for Sunday’s visit from the Tennessee Titans.

“Paschal’s dealing with something right now.,” Campbell said. “He’ll be OK long term, but he’s got a little bit of something. So, I don’t see him practicing today.”

Paschal jumped into a starting role only after Marcus Davenport and then Aidan Hutchinson went down with serious injuries in wins over Seattle (Week 4) and Dallas (Week 6). Playing as the “next man up”, Paschal represented a real dropoff in pressure creation and attacking versatility from the Week 1 starters.

The new next man up is freshly acquired Isaiah Thomas. The Lions signed him to the active roster last week after losing Hutchinson to a broken leg. Thomas had been on the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad after failing to make the Cleveland Browns following the preseason.

“Yes, we will use Isaiah. He’s done enough during the week to want to get him out there and get him some reps. He’s in a good place and we’re excited to see him play.”

The Lions won’t rely just on Thomas, however. Campbell cited pretty much every defensive lineman on the roster, including practice squad member Al-Quadin Muhammad, as guys who will have to pick up the slack for the wounded pass rush.

“Yeah, that’s why those three guys have to step up between Isaiah (Thomas) and Muhammad and (James) Houston. They have to help, they have to help and that’s where it goes but as always, we spread the load across that D-line with Levi (Onwuzurike) and (Alim McNeill) Mac and (DJ) Reader and (Mekhi) Wingo and (Pat) O’Connor, so we have plenty in there and they pick up the slack.”

If you’re looking for an omission there, it would be Isaac Ukwu. The undrafted rookie started the last two games in Davenport’s spot as a practice squad elevation. Despite showing some vitality late in the win over Dallas, Ukwu struggled against Minnesota’s strong offensive line.

Lions vs Cardinals postgame medical report

Lions vs Cardinals postgame medical report and prognosis on Brian Branch, Alim McNeill and more who were hurt during Detroit’s win

I was fortunate enough to see this victory in person along with thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of boisterous Lions fans who deserve a game ball for another impressive road showing. With the temperatures outside nearing 100 degrees, the excellent Cardinals stadium air conditioning deserves my other game ball.

With a good view of the Lions sideline, here are my observations from that vantage point. I haven’t had a chance to watch the game tape, so video review will come later in the week.

Sam LaPorta

The injury video looked like a right low ankle sprain caused by an inversion mechanism. He was carted to the locker room which was concerning but returned after halftime.

On the sideline, he looked springy and quick while doing movement drills. The ankle did not appear to be much of a concern as the training staff didn’t spend much time with him. His ankle was not taped on the outside of the shoe but could have had a light tape job under his sock.

LaPorta was able to return to the game throughout the 2nd half. While he will be sore and likely need extra rest this week, I don’t expect anything long-term.

Terrion Arnold

Arnold had dislocated his left index finger last week so it was nice to see there was no heavy splint on his fingers. He was catching passes well during warmups so I’m anticipating he should be able to intercept the ball without too much difficulty going forward.

During the game, he may have injured his right knee. On the sidelines, he was hobbling and grimacing while gingerly doing drills. The training staff spent a lot of time with him testing out his movement ability. His right knee was wrapped temporarily.

With how much discomfort he was displaying, I wasn’t expecting a return, but return he did and played pretty well too. Hopefully, this means the injury is something benign like a simple knee contusion.

Brian Branch

A big helmet-to-helmet hit obviously concussed both players. The injured Cardinal stumbled off while Branch was still down on the ground. It wasn’t clear if he had loss of consciousness. I didn’t observe any fencing which is good. He walked slowly to the locker room without any assistance.

Dan Skipper

Skipper got hurt early in the game. On the sideline, he was showing discomfort to his right back and side. He kept pointing to that area and doing torso side-stretches and rotations to test it out.

He was able to return to play but every time he was on the sideline, a wrap, presumably with heat, was placed to keep it loose. Laboring quite a bit on the sidelines, he was clearly doing his best to tough it out. I’m suspecting a muscle or rib strain of his right side which will be sore, but I don’t expect it to be long-term.

Penei Sewell

Players are often battling through injuries that don’t show up on the injury report. Sewell had injured his ankle two weeks ago but was unlisted this past week.

On the sideline, he occasionally had a wrap on his right ankle which I’m suspecting is for that injury from two weeks ago. This is something to keep in mind in case he occasionally has plays that don’t reflect his 1st-team All-Pro standard.

Derrick Barnes

On limited video, there was a possible right knee hyperextension. Recall last year in the conference championship game, he also had a right knee hyperextension.

A hyperextension can cause a bone bruise as well as knee ligament damage. We will see what the MRI results show. I don’t have any observations on the sideline and he did not return to the game.

Alim McNeill

McNeill left the game permanently with a shoulder injury. The only thing I saw was him walking very slowly as the last guy to the locker room at halftime.

Levi Onwuzurike

On the field, medical was evaluating his right knee. He was able to return for the rest of the game and seemed to be fine.

Alex Anzalone

Sitting this game out with a concussion, he was still totally mentally engaged on the sideline helping out with defensive calls and pumping up the fans. All good signs that he will be ready to go for next Monday night.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell provides an injury update on QB Hendon Hooker

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell provides an injury update on QB Hendon Hooker and his concussion

During the Detroit Lions 14 – 3 loss to the New York Giants last Thursday, they saw potential backup quarterback Hendon Hooker go down with injury. The injury he sustained was a concussion and it’s unclear of exactly when that injury occurred. Meanwhile, it seems unlikely that we’ll see Hooker play in the Lions second preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Today, Lions head coach Dan Campbell spoke to the media about the performance from certain players against the Giants and he provided injury updates for numerous players.

One of the players he discussed was Lions backup quarterback Hendon Hooker. Speaking to the media, Campbell had this to say when talking about Hooker and the concussion he sustained:

“Yeah, honestly, we don’t know. We don’t know where he’s gonna be. He’s not gonna be out there today. We probably won’t have him tomorrow. It’s looking less likely that we’ll have him in practice this week. Until Friday, uh, getting ready for the Chiefs. And that’s not a guarantee. Until, you know, he clears the concussion protocol. We’re on a hold with him right now.”

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Campbell did talk highly of what he saw from Hooker during the two drives he played against the Giants. When talking to the media today, Campbell had this to say about what Hooker did offensively.

“As you guys saw, there was some encouraging things in there. You know, he was able to move the offense down the field. Saw a couple of things. Had a hot throw. Did a good job on one of his progressions, kicking it back out to the back. Had a couple of runs there. So for the limited snaps that he was in there, with a very limited package offensively, you know, it was promising.”

Additionally, Campbell said, “…there wasn’t a lot of reps, we don’t know until he’s ready to go. We’re on hold with him, really.”

Against the Giants, we saw Hooker finish 5-for-9 with 36 yards passing. Adding to that, he had 4 carries for 34 yards and one of his runs was capped off with him trucking a defender in the open field.

Listening to Dan Campbell, it feels unlikely that we’ll see Hooker play against the Chiefs this week. However, he still has a chance if he clears the concussion protocol. That said, I’d expect to see more of Nate Sudfeld and potentially someone else next week.

 

Lions losing John Cominsky is more impactful than people think

The Lions losing DL John Cominsky to injury is more impactful than people think, and Russell Brown explains why

During the Tuesday morning practice this week, the Detroit Lions had multiple players suffer injuries. Rookie CB Ennis Rakestraw suffered an apparent foot injury, and offensive guard Netane Muti went down with a left shoulder injury. Lastly, they lost defensive end John Cominsky for the season due to a torn MCL.

There’s some hope that Cominsky could return in 5 or 6 months. If all goes right this season, the Lions could be in a playoff push so the return of Cominsky could be very beneficial for this Lions defense. However, losing him for the season is going to be more impactful than people think.

Last year during the off-season, the Lions were faced with a decision of keeping Cominsky or letting him walk. During that time, I went over the pros and cons of bringing him back to Detroit. In that article, I mentioned Cominsky as being a “glue guy” for the team. Specifically for the defense.

The Lions have a young defensive front with Alim McNeill, Aidan Hutchinson, Levi Onwuzurike and others. With that, they needed a veteran to lead them and turn to when the going got tough and that player was Cominsky. In 2022, he played in 14 games and started 8 of those games. He had 44 total pressures and over 550 defensive snaps played that season.

Cominsky may not light up the stat sheet, but his versatility will be missed. He can play anywhere along the defensive line. For the most part, he looks best suited to play as a 4i-technique for Detroit, but he can bump into the inside shoulder of a guard when needed.

Move onto last season and it was still a strong showing for Cominsky. He was in the top 10 for defensive snaps with 569 snaps played. Replacing the way he plays on those snaps will be tough to do for the Lions defense.

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His play style fits the identity of the Dan Campbell led Lions. He’s got that tough mentality and is just a grinder in the trenches. His ability to take on blocks and fight pressure with pressure is very beneficial to how the Lions linebackers can play freely. It leaves those backers clean as they scrape over the top or attack downhill to stop the run.

Last season, Cominsky played in 16 games and he started 11 of those games. He finished the season with 36 tackles, 16 QB pressures and two sacks (per PlayerProfiler). We’ll see how the Lions replace Cominsky but I’d have to guess this opens the door players such as Mathieu Betts, Kyle Peko, Mekhi Wingo and Brodric Martin. Hopefully, the Lions depth on the defensive line can help fill the void.

Fantasy football injury report: Conference Championships

Latest status of fantasy football weapons who are on the mend entering the Conference Championships.

This is a team-by-team review of any key fantasy football player injury news after this week’s practice activity and team statements. Only those players listed on the team’s official injury report will be addressed, unless the situation warrants further attention.

PLEASE NOTE: The NFL releases its final official injury report each Friday (approximately 5:30 p.m. ET). West Coast teams often report their injuries late and may not be included in the initial publication.

Conference Championships fantasy football injury report

This week’s key game-time decisions: RB Isiah Pacheco

BALTIMORE RAVENS
TE Mark Andrews (ankle) was activated from the Reserve/Injured list and will play for the first time since Week 11. CB Marlon Humphrey (calf), WR/KR Tylan Wallace (knee), and CB Rock Ya-Sin (knee) are questionable.

DETROIT LIONS
OG Jonah Jackson (ankle) and WR Kalif Raymond (knee) will not play. LB Alex Anzalone (ribs, shoulder), TE Sam LaPorta (knee), WR Josh Reynolds (ribs), and C Frank Ragnow (ankle, toe, knee, back) do not carry injury designations.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
NT Derrick Nnadi (elbow), WR Skyy Moore (knee) and OG Joe Thuney (pec) have been ruled out. S Mike Edwards (concussion), RB Isiah Pacheco (ankle, toe), LB Willie Gay Jr. (neck) and WR Kadarius Toney (hip) are questionable. Pacheco says he is playing but should be considered a game-time decision. WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (oblique) CB Trent McDuffie (ankle), and CB L’Jarius Sneed (calf) avoided injury tags.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
WR Deebo Samuel (shoulder), DE Arik Armstead (foot, knee), and LB Dre Greenlaw (Achilles) fully practiced Friday and will play.